


Scars

by Foarrin



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Abuse, Beating, Child Abuse, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Murder, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 17:02:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15393360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foarrin/pseuds/Foarrin
Summary: Mal chose to give her mother the wand at the coronation. Now, she and her three friends have been sentenced back to the Isle where they will never be allowed to return to Auradon. Needless to say, their parents are furious. It is from this that Mal learns a dark secret about Jay's relationship with his father and the lengths she is willing to go to in order to save him. Mal/Jay.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants or its prequel Isle of the Lost, which I may draw on from time to time for background information.

Mal sat in the cold darkness of her room, her breath fogging the air before her. Being in Auradon, she had forgotten just how cold it got at night on the Isle. But now, she sat shivering on the floor of her room. She was afraid to light the lamp on her beside table, scared the action would somehow alert her mother to her still being awake. And she didn't want to sit on her bed, just in case Maleficent came in and decided to shout at her some more. She felt safer behind the edge of her bed, its wooden frame a barrier between her and the door. Up until half an hour ago, Maleficent had still been stomping around the loft apartment, yelling at Mal and throwing various objects she could find that would make the loudest noise.

Mal had never seen her mother so angry.

It had been a week ago that Ben's coronation had taken place. Mal had grabbed the wand from Jane. She and her friends had chosen to be good, right there in front of everyone. Then Maleficent had appeared. Mal hadn't been able to move. Proclaiming herself as good had made her no less afraid of her mother when the woman had appeared in front of her. She hadn't been able to fight it, and she had given the wand to her mother.

Instead of Maleficent taking over Auradon though, Beast had tackled her in the moment that Maleficent had spent cackling at her great scheme being fulfilled. Cockiness had been the downfall of many villains, and Maleficent was no different. Fairy Godmother had gotten her wand back. Ben had stood there, betrayal in his eyes. Mal hadn't been able to look at him. He had been like a brother to her, and she had betrayed him. In one fatal moment, she had destroyed every ounce of his trust.

Ben hadn't fought for any of the four teens from the Isle to stay. Beast himself had ordered the removal of Maleficent and the four friends back to the Isle. They were to remain there. Forever. No more deals. No more chances. Stuck behind the barrier forever.

Mal regretted it. Her moment of fear had caused her to betray everyone she held most dear. But what was worse was coming home. The coronation had been televised to the Isle too. Everyone there knew Mal and her friends had chosen good, abandoning their Isle roots and betraying everyone there. Then they had watched Maleficent be humiliated. Maleficent blamed Mal, of course. Everything was always Mal's fault.

Mal hadn't seen Evie, Jay, or Carlos in the week that they had been home. She assumed that, like her, they were being held hostage in their rooms, too scared to argue with their parents and too scared to go out into town where there were angry islanders.

Mal sniffed, the cold in the room making her nose run like she had a cold. She listened for a moment longer. There was no movement in the other rooms of the apartment. Maleficent had probably gone to bed. Relieved, Mal stood up and pulled one of the moth-eaten blankets from her bed. Pulling it around her shoulders, she moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Her stomach growled. She couldn't remember if she had eaten that morning or if it had been the morning before that. It wasn't like Maleficent was keeping food from her, but Mal avoided the kitchen so as not to get yelled at for foiling Maleficent's 'perfect plan' again.

Before Mal could make up her mind whether or not it was worth it to sneak into the kitchen, a flash of green light reflected off her window. It was almost immediately followed by a flash of purple. She frowned and stood, walking over to the window. She pushed it open.

On the other side of the island was Hell Hall, where Carlos lived with Cruella. Now, lighting the sky above Hell Hall were periodic flashes of lasers. They seemed to be coming from the roof. A flash of green again, then purple. Red, yellow. Red, yellow. Blue, white. Blue, white.

"Carlos," Mal whispered in awe. Then a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. He was a genius. Cruella must have gone to bed too for Carlos to be sending signals to her, Jay, and Evie.

Dropping the blanket from her shoulders, Mal climbed out the window. In a few quick movements, she found herself on the ground in the alley below, having landed perfectly like a cat. She looked around, everything within ten feet fading into darkness. It had to be midnight at least.

It took her half an hour to get to Hell Hall. Noises down different alleys made her turn back several times to look for alternate routes other than the fastest one. The last thing she wanted was to run into anyone out on the streets this late. Or at all. During the walk, the lights repeated their flashes above the building twice and then abruptly stopped after the third complete rotation.

When she finally reached Hell Hall, she paused at the front door, thinking it might be safest to go to the back. But then the door opened without her knocking or anything. A hand reached out and pulled her inside. The door shut with a snap.

In the darkness of the entrance hall, Mal could just make out Carlos's impish face. He held a finger to his lips and then motioned for her to follow him. She did, and a few minutes later, he closed the door to his room behind her.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright, Mal," Evie said, hugging her tightly the instant she was over the threshold.

Mal looked from Evie to Jay to Carlos. She had been the last to arrive, so she guessed none of the others had been able to sleep well the last week either if Evie and Jay had beaten her there. "Yeah. Mom's not happy."

"Course not," Carlos said, though he was whispering. "My mom's furious. I've had to wash and wax her car twice, brush all her furs three times daily, and clean the great hall."

"Doesn't she normally make you do that though?" Mal asked, moving to sit beside Jay on Carlos's mattress.

Carlos shook his head. "Not that often. She's being brutal. She locked me in her closet the moment we got home."

Evie took her bag off her shoulder and set it on the floor. "My mom hasn't been so bad. I'm more scared of everyone else. They hate us."

Mal nodded, watching the blue-haired girl pull different clothes out of the bag. "My mom's just been yelling and making a lot of noise, complaining about how I embarrassed her. I mean, it could be worse. She's just...scary when she gets like that. It's worse than her usual intimidation."

Evie and Carlos nodded knowingly. Evie stood back up and handed a wad of fabric to Carlos before walking over to Mal and Jay. "I, uh, I've had a lot of time on my hands, as you can imagine. Mom and I have been sewing together. She was silent a lot at first, but it was a little better today. I made you guys stuff. New shirts and jackets and...stuff." She was blushing, but gave them a soft smile.

"Thanks, E." Mal said. She turned her fabric over, unfolding it to find it was a purple collared shirt with a green and black heart sewn onto the front where it would be over Mal's own heart when she put it on. Brass triangles were fitted onto both corners of the collar, and the buttons of the shirt were dark green. "It looks great."

"Well, try it on," Evie prompted. "All of you now." She grinned.

Jay stood, unzipping his vest and tossing it onto the bed. "You know they're going to fit," he said. "You just want us to be your little runway models."

Evie laughed. "A little bit, but it's fun."

Mal laughed and rolled her eyes. She shed her jacket so she just had a thin lavender camisole on. She pulled on the shirt Evie had made and buttoned it up to her throat so it was comfortable. She watched Evie fold down the collar of Carlos's black and red vest as he zipped it up. Then her eyes darted to Jay, her heart a bit lighter from just being with her friends again.

But it immediately jumped into her throat. "Oh my gosh, Jay!"

"What?" he asked, looking up at her, alarmed.

Mal's eyes were wide. "Your...your back. What happened?"

Jay's usual playful demeanor instantly fell. "What? Oh, it's nothing." He quickly pulled on the sweater Evie had given him, effectively shielding his back from view.

Mal glanced at Evie and Carlos. Evie's eyes were wide too and met Mal's to search for an explanation.

"Jay...it's not nothing," Mal said. "Your back looks like it's been through a shredder." Actually, Mal would have guessed a cheese grater. The image was burned into Mal's mind. Jay's back had looked like a mess of scars and a few stitches. Like...like... "Did your dad do that to you?"

Jay huffed, dropping his hands to his sides after finishing rolling back the sleeves of his red sweater to his elbows. "It's nothing." He turned and walked to the other end of the room. He slid into Carlos's bathroom and shut the door behind him with a snap.

Carlos sighed, and Evie and Mal rounded on him. "You know. Explain," Mal demanded.

"What? How do you know I know?" Carlos countered, looking like a cornered puppy.

"You weren't surprised. Also, you shared a locker room with him for tourney. It looks like his..." Mal took a breath and then lowered her voice. "Does Jafar whip him?"

Carlos's gaze flitted between Mal and Evie. Then he sighed, defeated. "Yeah, he apparently always has. Jay used to steal so many things for Jafar's shop because if Jafar wasn't satisfied with the day's haul, he would give Jay lashes. I think he beat him too. He's had several broken ribs before."

"How do you know that?" Mal asked, suddenly defensive. She had been friends with Jay before Carlos and Evie. Never had she noticed signs of Jafar abusing Jay.

"He told me. I guess he was just more open to talking about it when we were in Auradon. I guess he figured it would never happen again, so..." Carlos shrugged and cast a glance toward the bathroom door. "Don't say anything more, please, Mal. Jafar probably gave him a pretty hard time upon our failure."

"It was my failure, not any of yours," Mal corrected him sharply, anger rising in her veins. She clenched her hands into fists. Then she huffed. "But how are the new ones stitched shut?"

"Jafar and Mother Gothel have that on-mostly-off-again relationship, remember?" Carlos prompted her. "Mother Gothel doesn't approve of the way Jafar treats Jay, but she doesn't do anything about it. She just doctors him up afterwards."

Fury hit Mal in the chest as she thought about Mother Gothel, who taught at their school on the Isle. She was one to talk about raising kids right. She had abused Rapunzel emotionally for years. But, Mal figured that was a step up from Jafar beating Jay senseless.

"How often does it happen?" Mal asked.

Carlos didn't answer. The door to the bathroom was opening.

Jay, goofy smile back in place, walked back into the room. "Alright, I'm starving. What do you say to raiding your mom's kitchen?"

"Sure," Carlos said hurriedly.

Mal just scowled at the ground, afraid she would pounce on Jay and demand more answers if she looked at him. One thing was for sure though, this conversation was far from over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N from original upload on fanfiction.net (12/14/2015): Thanks so much for reading the first chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it. Remember to check my profile for periodic news on updates. Give this a fave, follow, and review if you liked it.
> 
> Foarrin


	2. Chapter 2

"Mal," came Maleficent's sickly sweet singsong voice from the kitchen. Mal groaned inwardly, knowing that the only reason her mother would be talking in that tone instead of yelling at her would be because she wanted something. She pushed herself up from the bed and wandered into the kitchen.

"Yes, Mother?" Mal asked softly, standing in the doorway so she wasn't within Maleficent's immediate reach. Of course, that didn't put her out of throwing range, but it was better than nothing if she had to face her mother. It had been a week since she had seen her friends at Hell Hall, and she had only left her room twice since then. Those two times had been late afternoon visits to Evie. As it turned out, Evil Queen wasn't terribly upset at being kept on the Isle compared to Cruella, Jafar, and Maleficent. Really, it just meant she could continue being the 'most beautiful' on the Isle instead of competing with the royals in Auradon. Mal didn't really understand the entire reasoning, but as long as it made Evil Queen peaceable enough toward her to allow her to spend time with Evie, she didn't really care.

"I need you to go into town and get a few cans of expired peas and some meat," Maleficent said. She was sitting at the table, her back to the fridge. She didn't make eye contact with Mal or look up at all. Instead, she was focusing on an old magazine on the table in front of her. Mal instantly recognized it as the previous month's  _Pampered Princess_  from Auradon. It was a magazine she had seen Audrey carrying around at school on a few occasions. Now, Maleficent was flipping through the pages and pausing every so often to draw mustaches and boils on the models with a purple pen.

Mal wrinkled her nose at her mother's request. At the same instant, her stomach collapsed in on itself from the thought of going into the market. It was just before sunset, and the town would still be busy with people. She wasn't sure how they would react to seeing one of the people who betrayed them.

"Don't make that face. It's not for you," Maleficent said, glancing up at her. "It's for Diablo's dinner."

Mal glanced to the raven perched atop their fridge. It opened its beak and squawked loudly, its beady eyes watching her. Mal glared back at it. She had never liked that bird ever since he had been un-petrified two months ago. "Fine," she muttered and turned to go.

Mal returned to her room to grab her jacket and bag. She pulled on her jacket and slung the bag across her body. In an instant, she slipped through the kitchen and down the stairs to the shop beneath them.

Outside and over one block was the market square. Mal guessed that was one advantage to their loft. She didn't have to walk far to get what her mother wanted. She could grab the things and go before people noticed her. But, as she walked between the vendors' stalls in the square, people still looked at her. Her heart seized in panic as quite a few people stopped to mumble something while staring at her. But no one approached her. Perhaps, she still had the same advantage of being Maleficent's daughter that she had had before she even left. They were afraid of her mother, so they were afraid of her. If that was the case, she would readily reinforce it.

"What are you all looking at?" Mal barked. She turned around to pin each of her onlookers with a deadly glare, and they scattered. She smirked to herself, but she felt disappointment settle in her stomach. That was the old her. She couldn't let the Isle change her back into someone cruel like that.

Just get the things and go, she thought as she moved past a few vendors. She stopped at the outdoor market where most of the produce was moldy or rotting. A few packages of meat sat at the end of one table next to a mountain of assorted canned goods. She waited until the vendor had turned his back to deal with another customer and then slid a package of moldy meat and two cans of peas into her bag. She turned around to head back to the loft and froze.

On the other side of the market was Jay. He was wearing his usual vest and jeans combo. He glanced around and then snatched a golden figurine off the table in front of him. A moment later, he had slid it into his pocket and was walking away, heading for a street leading out of the square.

Mal wove between vendors and customers easily, not hesitating as she made to follow him. She reached the street he had taken and saw him disappear around the next corner. The sun was setting, so he would be headed home, she guessed. She knew the way, but it was best to let him get there first. If she caught up to him, she knew she would try to stop him from going home to Jafar. And that would only make things worse between them.

Mal followed the path she knew to Jafar's junk shop and Jay's home but at a sedated pace. When she arrived ten minutes later, she saw Jay slip in the front door. He must have walked slower too, and she wondered if it was just to delay his punishment. A part of her really hoped that she had just dreamed up the whole abuse. But, she had seen the scars, and Carlos had confirmed her fears. She wasn't even sure what she was doing following Jay now when she knew what had to be coming.

A light inside the shop turned on, and Mal ducked into the alley that it acted as one wall to. Keeping close to the wall, she crouched beneath the window that overlooked the alley. If she leaned up a few inches, she would be able to see into the shop. At least, that was theoretically. The window was too dirty to see anything except shapes of bodies inside. At the top, a piece of its glass was missing where one of the square panes had been broken out long ago. She wouldn't risk standing up to see inside, but it did allow her to hear them.

"What did you get?" Jafar asked eagerly.

"A bit of stuff in town," Jay answered. There were a few thuds as he sat a few objects on a table. Then there was silence, and Mal guessed Jafar was appraising the items mentally.

"This is all worthless," Jafar said. "How am I supposed to sell these?"

"Dad, this is a  _junk_  shop. You can sell anything here," Jay reasoned.

"This won't even pay for one meal."

"People are watching me more since I got back. I already told you that," Jay said. "It's harder to steal things right now. It's all I could get." There was a pause as Jafar's footsteps receded further into the shop. "Dad." Mal's heart sped up at the pleading tone of Jay's voice. Jafar's footsteps came back. "Dad, please."

"I told you it's not enough, Jay. I only do what is necessary to make you understand."

"Then I won't eat. If it's not enough for food, I won't eat today. Or tomorrow. Just...Dad, please. I'll get more tomorrow. Dad."

Mal jumped as the crack of a whip split the air. Her heart was suddenly in her throat, and she resisted the urge to open the window to see what exactly was happening. Either that, or to pull Jay out. But she knew, just as she assumed Jay had thought many times, that there was nowhere to go. Nowhere to escape to. They were stuck on an island. They couldn't outrun their parents forever even if they tried.

"Turn around," Jafar said stiffly.

Mal shut her eyes as she heard the whisper of a zipper being undone. That would be Jay's vest. The image of Jay's torn and scared back flashed into Mal's mind. Then there was a second crack, and Jay cried out. Mal shook her head, wishing and praying she would wake up. She wanted this to all be a nightmare. But she realized as a few tears chased each other down her cheeks and onto her pants that she wasn't going to wake up. Not anytime soon. Probably not ever. This was their reality again. Forever.

Jay's cries came more frequently. They varied from pained gasps to quiet pleas with Jafar to stop. The longer it went on, the more Jay sounded like a very small and frightened boy, and Mal nearly vomited at the sudden thought of just how long this had probably been happening to her best friend. But still, she couldn't move from her spot under the window. As much as she wanted to tear herself away from the sound of Jay's sobs, she couldn't. Moving out of earshot would only be pretending it wasn't happening. At the same time, she had no idea how to stop it. And the longer she listened, the louder Jay's cries seemed to get.


	3. Chapter 3

Mal's knees were burning from crouching under the window so long. She wasn't sure if it had been five minutes or five hours. But gauging from the lack of movement of the moon across the sky, she guessed it had only been five or ten minutes. Jay's screams and the crack of the whip had stopped just a minute ago. Yet, Mal was still scared to move from her spot in the alley. She could hear footsteps of the two somewhere in the shop.

Another few minutes passed before a light in the window from the second floor came on. It was faint, and Mal guessed it was a gas lamp. Edging away from the window, she straightened up. She felt instant relief in her knees. Looking up, she saw that the light was coming from Jay's room. It would be an easy climb. That wasn't what she was worried about. Rather, she was worried about him. He would probably be angry that she was there in the first place, but she had to check on him.

Careful not to make noise, she climbed onto a trashcan and onto the windowsill of Jay's window. The curtains were closed, and the window was locked. Pausing for a moment to listen to make sure Jafar was still in the lower level of the shop, she knocked on the glass.

It took a moment, but the window finally slid up, allowing her room to slip inside. As soon as she was inside, Jay shut the window and closed the curtains again.

"What are you doing here, Mal?" Jay asked. He didn't make eye contact with her, and she immediately guessed why. A large bruise was forming over his left eye.

"I followed you from the market," Mal said. "I'm sorry. I just...Carlos told me what he does to you."

Jay grimaced but didn't say anything as he walked over to his bed. He picked up his vest and pulled it on. He hissed when it touched the skin of his back.

"What are you doing?" Mal snapped. She didn't want to imagine what his back looked like, but it seemed stupid to put clothes on over it.

"Going out. You should go home, Mal." He left his beanie on the bed and instead pulled his hair up into a bun at the base of his neck. He winced as he did so, and Mal wondered if he was in so much pain that it was hard to lift his arms even that much.

"Jay, please, let me help you," Mal started.

Jay cut her off with a dark scowl. "My body just isn't used to it since we had our little vacation in Auradon. I'll be fine in week or so."

"That's a horrible way of thinking about it," Mal said. She followed him to the window, which he opened again and swung one leg out of. "Are you going to see Mother Gothel?"

Jay huffed. "Can Carlos not keep his mouth shut about anything?" He sighed. "Come on, then. You'd probably just follow me there too anyway." He slid out of the window and dropped onto the garbage can below. She followed him once he had jumped off of it.

"He's just worried about you. We all are," Mal said once she was walking along beside him in the alley.

Jay snorted and stuck his hands in his pockets. "You shouldn't. Nothing can be done to help it or fix it. It's just something I live with."

"But you shouldn't have to," Mal said, following him around a corner and down another alley.

"Maybe not, but it's the hand I was dealt. Besides, what would any of you know about physical abuse? Maleficent wouldn't hurt someone who looks just like her, her prodigy. Cruella is all bark and no bite. And Evil Queen would think giving Evie a bruise is a form of disfigurement." He stopped suddenly outside a door and knocked. "Just let it go, alright? And don't overreact when you see it."

Mal huffed but didn't respond as the door swung inward to admit them. As soon as they were in the foyer, a woman with curly jet black hair with streaks of grey in it shut the door firmly behind them.

"Hello, Jay," Mother Gothel said. She sighed. "Rough night again?"

Jay nodded. "And Mal tagged along."

The woman raised an eyebrow at Mal, but she just nodded and led the way down the hall and into a sitting room. "You know the drill. Shirt off before the blood dries." She pulled out a folding table from behind the couch and quickly popped it open so it was standing. It created a small table that she quickly covered in clean sheets. A first aid kit lay on a another table next to it. She was obviously prepared for him.

Jay stripped off his vest and moved to sit on the table with his back to her.

Mal stood in the doorway, clutching the strap of her bag. She couldn't see Jay's back from her position, but when Mother Gothel pressed her lips together in a thin line as she surveyed it, she knew the damage must have been bad. "Is he going to be ok?" Mal asked.

Mother Gothel glanced at her. "He'll be fine. Just more scars." She picked up a cloth from the first aid kit and dipped it into a dish of water. She pressed it carefully to the wounds on Jay's back, and he gasped. Mal wondered if it was more than water to clean the wounds. The woman looked back up at her. "Come dab the blood away and clean the wounds. I need to go get numbing creme from the closet."

Mal opened her mouth to protest as Mother Gothel handed her the rag and left the room. Jay raised an eyebrow at her, so she closed her mouth and moved over to him. Standing behind him, she looked at what the whip had done to his back. The old scars were there, along with scabs from the recent punishment. But now, there were wide open gashes interspersed between and over all of those. Blood ran and dripped from each wound, some going deeper than others. Some stitches that hadn't been removed were now torn out, bleeding fresh. "Gosh, Jay."

Mal swallowed the bile in her throat and pressed the rag against a wound on his shoulder blade. "I'm sorry that this happened to you," she said.

"Try to get the bleeding to stop. Apply a little pressure. She can't sew me up until most of the blood is gone. The needle gets too slippery," Jay said. He folded the vest in his lap and sat still.

Mal nodded and continued dabbing at the wounds. Some of his skin was torn off completely, while other fragments were still barely attached like webbing or lace clinging to his back. It made her ill to look at it.

Mother Gothel returned a few minutes later and waved Mal out of the way. "Thank you," she said, taking the rag from Mal. She looked over Jay's back now and nodded. "Alright. Jay, I'm out of numbing creme."

Mal thought she saw Jay tense.

"You going to be ok with that?" the woman asked, starting to thread a needle from the kit.

Jay nodded. "Yeah." He exhaled. "I'm good."

Mal moved away from Mother Gothel, not wanting to watch her sew the wounds shut. She wasn't sure she could even handle it. She wasn't squeamish with blood or anything, but the wounds themselves were just too nasty for her. Instead, she moved so she was standing in front of Jay. There was no risk of seeing his back that way. She saw instantly that he had lied. He wasn't fine. He had wadded his vest into a ball and was clutching it tightly, his knuckles white.

Mal reached forward and hesitantly laid one of her hands over his. He flinched and looked up at her. She swallowed, but he didn't pull away or tell her to stop. In fact, his grip slackened a bit, and he curled his index finger around hers. She gave him a soft smile, trying to encourage him.

Mother Gothel moved a lamp from a table up beside Jay and angled its shade so more of its light fell on Jay's back. Then she leaned forward with the needle and began her work.

Jay immediately shut his eyes, his face screwed up in pain. Mal kept her eyes on his face, not wanting to focus too much on what the woman was doing behind him. She saw him clench his jaw tightly, his lips pressed together in a hard line. She moved her free hand to his neck to brush her thumb over his jaw. Having him tense would only make the pain worse. That much she knew.

He seemed to relax a bit, but his face was still an expression of pain and anxiety. He released his hold on his vest and instead gripped the wrist of the hand that was on his. A moment later, he pulled her closer until her hip touched his knee. He bent forward slightly and laid his forehead on her shoulder. Softly, in her ear, she heard him sigh, and his hand tightened on hers as he laced their fingers together.

She moved her hand from his neck to the back of his head. She stroked his hair gently, wanting him to stay relaxed long enough for Mother Gothel to finish the stitches. Still, she didn't look at the woman or her work. She kept her eyes closed now, focusing on staying calm herself so Jay could relax. Well, as much as he could with a needle being shoved through layers of his raw back over and over.

It took nearly half an hour. Mal guessed that Mother Gothel had been working slow to try to avoid hurting him much worse, but dragging the ordeal out was still brutal. By the time the woman finished the last of the stitches, Jay's hands were shaking in Mal's. His breathing had quickened several times too. Luckily, he seemed to relax when the healing ointment and bandages were applied. Still, Mal only moved away from him when Mother Gothel told him he could put his vest back on.

"I'll get you some blankets," Mother Gothel said and left the room.

Mal looked at Jay. "Blankets?"

Jay zipped up his vest slowly. "I crash on the couch here usually and just sneak back to the shop before dawn so Dad doesn't notice I left. I mean, he's not stupid. He notices I have them stitched up later. But I don't want him knowing who does it for me. I don't want her dragged into this."

Mal nodded. She had somehow come to understand over the past hour why Jay wanted to keep everyone shut out and as far away from him as possible. Honestly, she was surprised he had even allowed her, Carlos, and Evie into his life if Jafar was potentially this dangerous. It was enough to worry about without keeping up appearances with three friends who could and did follow him home to discover the truth.

"You should go now," Jay said.

Mal nodded, knowing she was bound to get yelled at for returning over an hour later than she was meant to with Diablo's dinner. "No more lies, Jay," she said. She swallowed and reached out to grip his hand again. "I mean it. I know you think you can't escape this. And honestly, you're right; I don't know how to help you get out of it this instant. But I can help you by being here for you. Alright? If nothing else, I'm here."

Jay nodded and gave her hand a squeeze. "I know, Mal. I just...I didn't want you involved in this part of my life. But I guess...if you're going to butt in regardless..." He smiled, laughing a bit. She smiled too, nodding.

"You know that's what I do. I'm not satisfied until my nose is in everything." Mal stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. "Just be careful, ok?"

Jay nodded. "I'll try. You be careful too."

Mal nodded and slid her hand from his. She walked away, slipping past Mother Gothel as the woman headed back into the room with a stack of blankets. She reached the door and slipped outside into the cold night air. Taking a deep breath of crisp air, she prayed that time would erase the images of Jay's pain and his torn back from her mind. It made her want to cry. But she didn't. Instead, she turned toward home, bracing for the punishment from her mother that she was actually thankful for for being just words. Because she realized now that even Maleficent, the baddest of the bad, could be much, much worse.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, if you don't mind me asking," Evie said, picking at a loose thread in her leggings. "I mean, uh, how do you think Ben is? And Doug? And the others?"

Mal slowly raised her eyes from the magazine she had been leafing through. Even before their trip to Auradon, Evie had loved to collect the old magazines from Auradon and stash them in her bedroom. That was where they were now, both girls sitting on Evie's bed.

Mal sighed. She knew why Evie had asked. The cover had Ben on it and promised all the exclusive behind-the-scenes details of the royal coronation and setup for the special day. She had just been looking through it out of boredom. The magazine was from almost three weeks ago since it had been published a week before the actual coronation.

Mal tried not to think about Ben and their friends in Auradon too much. Doing so only led her into a spiral of depression and guilt. She was the reason her friends were now trapped back on the Isle. She was the reason Jay was back in a routine of getting daily punishments. If she could have done it over again, she would have fought her mother and never would have given her the wand. But she couldn't do it over, and she just counted herself lucky that she had supportive friends who didn't blame her for booting them back to their old living conditions.

"He's probably fine," Mal said flatly and looked back down to the page she was on. "Audrey's probably happy."

Evie nodded and looked away. She was silent for several seconds, looking around her room as if searching for the words to say. "Do you miss him?"

"I miss having someone that believed we were more than just villain kids," Mal said. And that was the truth. She realized now that her feelings for Ben had simply been ones of friendship and a desperate hope for her future to be something more than criticism from her mother. She had clung to his friendship because he was the first one outside of the Isle to believe in her. Now that she was back on the Isle and had sorted through her feelings, she could see that. He was a good friend, but nothing more.

"Yeah. I think I miss Doug because of that," Evie said. "I had never felt smart before. He believed I was something more than the makeup and hair and clothes."

Mal closed the magazine and tossed it aside. She sat forward. "You totally miss him for other reasons than that, E."

"I know." Evie sighed. "I'm just trying to forget the other reasons. I don't want to have these feelings for him."

A pang of guilt twisted Mal's stomach. It was statements like that that made Mal wonder if her friends really had forgiven her for her behavior at the coronation. But, she cast the thought aside. Evie was upset and not likely trying to make Mal feel guilty on purpose.

Mal reached forward and squeezed Evie's hand gently. "I'm sorry," she said. She didn't want to tell her that it would be ok. She didn't see how anything could be ok now that they had seen what the world had to offer and were suddenly back to living their lives in a cage. But she had to be positive. They still had each other, and that had been enough before.

"Evie!" Evil Queen's singsong voice drifted up the stairs. "More company!"

Mal looked to the door. A moment later, Jay strode into the room. She hadn't seen him since the night she had tagged along to Mother Gothel's house. That had been almost a week ago. He looked no worse, but that wasn't saying much. The bruise around his eye was mostly gone. He was wearing his red sweater that Evie had made him, and Mal hated that her mind instantly went to the assumption that it was hiding even worse injuries from view.

"Hey, Evie, Mal." Jay smiled, but the darkness in his eyes didn't change. He looked stiff. "Carlos is running a little late. Cruella has him washing her car. Again. He'll hopefully be here in time for dinner though. Your mom also wanted me tell you she wants your help with dinner."

Evie nodded and wiped at her eyes before rising. She left the room.

"Is she ok?" Jay asked, moving to take Evie's vacated seat on the bed.

Mal nodded. "We were just talking about Doug."

Jay nodded knowingly. "Got it."

Silence fell between them again. Mal wanted to ask if he was ok. She wanted to know if the beatings had continued. But, she already assumed what the answer would be. And she didn't want to hear it.

"Mal..." Jay's voice was quiet, his gaze on his hands where they were folded in his lap. "I'm sorry I didn't thank you properly for going to Mother Gothel's the other night."

Mal shook her head. "That's ok. I forced you to take me along."

Jay swallowed. "But I'm glad you did. It meant a lot that you were there with me."

Mal studied him for a moment before saying, "Jay...what's wrong? Did something else happen?"

"I just...I need you to tell me it'll get better."

"Jay, I-"

"Please," Jay said sharply. He squeezed his eyes shut. "Tell me it'll get better."

Mal moved closer to him and laid a hand on his wrist, squeezing gently to try to comfort him. He flinched as if she had burnt him. She withdrew her hand, staring at him. "Jay, I'm not going to hurt you. Please. Just relax."

Jay swallowed. He was shaking now. "It's not..." He swallowed again and pushed up his sleeve. "It's not that." He turned over his wrist. It was bandaged on the underside. Blood had soaked through the thin linen.

Mal felt as if spiders were crawling over her skin as panic seized her heart. "Jay?"

"Tell me it'll get better, Mal. Tell me." Tears slipped down his face, and he hung his head, his eyes shut tight.

Mal hesitated, wanting to hug him but also afraid she would hurt him more. After a moment, she reached up and slid a hand around the back of his neck. She pulled his head down to her chest. He buried his face there, his hands gripping at her jacket as he sobbed.

"Jay..." Mal swallowed and just stroked his hair. "What made you cut yourself?"

"There's just no hope, Mal," Jay cried, his voice slightly muffled. He turned his head so his cheek was pressed against her collarbone. "I just reached this realization that this is all my life is going to be. He's gotten worse since we were gone to Auradon. Or...or maybe going to Auradon just made me notice how truly horrible he is. But I couldn't do it, Mal. I just wanted the pain to stop." He choked out a sob. "Tell me. Tell me it'll get better."

Mal didn't know what to say. She wanted to be able to tell him that it would end. That Jafar would stop. That he would be a loving father or at least leave Jay alone. But Mal couldn't get any words out. Instead, she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "I'm sorry," she finally whispered, still trying to think of something encouraging to say to him. But his next words made her lose all train of thought.

"I should have found my mother when I had the chance," Jay said.

Mal blinked. "Your mom? You...you know who your mother is?" It was virtually unheard of for villain kids to know who both of their parents were. Mal had assumed for years that it was probably some conspiracy between all the villains to never reveal the identity of the other parent, even though they were likely on the Isle.

Jay nodded.

"Why don't you go find her? She lives here, right? I mean, you're sixteen. The villains were put here twenty years ago. Given the time frame-"

"Not all of the villains were put here twenty years ago," Jay said quietly. He slowly sat up and looked at her. "My dad never kept it a secret from me who my mother is. I guess he considers it some grand achievement that he slept with her or something. Anyways, he told me that when Beast made his proclamation to round up all the villains and lock them away, there was utter chaos. Villains scattered and went into hiding. The ones without magic were easier to find. That would be people like Cruella and Evil Queen. For the others, it took up to six years for Beast to find them all and finally get them here. Now, given that time frame...my dad could be telling the truth. And I checked his story with the records in the library in Auradon. It really did take years to get all the villains here. It allows for enough time for me to have been conceived before my dad was captured. He was found after a little over three years. That was enough for my mother to be pregnant with me. He's always said she didn't want me, so when I was born, I was sent over here with one of the garbage workers."

Mal couldn't speak. All this time, she had assumed that all the villains had been sent over to the Isle at once. She had assumed that all of the children on the Isle were the product of two villains on the Isle. But now... "You're saying your mother really lives in Auradon?"

Jay nodded. "I tried to look for her at the coronation, but I didn't see her. I should've tracked her down the moment we got to Auradon, but I...he said she didn't want me. I guess part of me believes that. Part of me is still wondering if that's not true. I just wish I had gotten the answer while I had the chance."

Mal was desperately trying to absorb all of what Jay said, but her head was reeling. She swallowed after a moment and frowned in thought. "That means a lot of us could have parents in Auradon. Doesn't it?"

"Possibly?" Jay frowned. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. It's not worth worrying over now. I'll never get the chance to find her again."

Mal watched him for a moment, not sure what to say. Finally, not knowing how to help, she quietly asked, "Who is your mother, Jay?"

Jay looked up at her. "I would have thought it was obvious. It's Aladdin's wife. You know...Princess Jasmine."


	5. Chapter 5

"How long before they get here?" Jay asked. He let the curtain fall closed and looked back at Mal.

Mal sat on her bed, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. "Soon. Carlos had to grab a few things. And Evie was supposed to make sure my mom was safely eating dinner with Evil Queen before she heads over."

"I just don't know about this, Mal. We don't even know if it's going to work." Jay parted the curtains of her window again and glanced outside.

She watched him closely. She knew he had to be nervous. The sun was setting, which was usually the time Jay was supposed to be headed home to Jafar. If he was late, that earned him extra punishment. Mal would especially feel guilty if her plan didn't work because Jay would have to return incredibly late. She didn't even want to think of how badly he would be hurt then. The plan had to work.

It had been a full week since Jay had confessed to Mal about cutting. She had known then that something had to be done. That was when she had asked Carlos about his invention that had originally punched a hole in the barrier and revived the Dragon's Eye Scepter. He had been skeptical about whether or not the machine could repeat such a feat, but Mal had insisted he try to work on the machine a little more. When he told her he thought it was ready to be put to the test, they clued Jay and Evie in on the plan. Evie would convince Evil Queen to have Maleficent over for dinner one night while the four friends met in Mal's room. With any luck, they would be off the Isle and back in Auradon within the hour.

"If it doesn't...just tell your dad you lost track of time," Mal said. She leaned her head against a bedpost.

Jay laughed coldly. "That doesn't work."

Mal stood and shrugged off the blanket. She crossed the room and laid a hand on his arm. "Stop worrying. They'll be here. And if it doesn't work, then...then I'll tell Jafar it was my fault. I'll take the punishment instead."

Jay let his hand fall from the curtain. "That's ridiculous. You know he wouldn't lay a hand on you. He's too scared of your mom."

"Maybe so," Mal said. "But I meant it. If I could, I would take it for you."

Jay looked away. "Mal..." He trailed off and made to slide his arm from her grip. But she was surprised when he entwined their fingers instead. Lifting their hands to his mouth, he kissed the back of her hand. "I've known you were never evil since the day I met you. You simply care too much. You're selfless. And that's what I love about you."

Mal felt heat creep into her cheeks, and he squeezed her hand. She smiled and laid her head against his shoulder. "I just don't want you to be in this pain, Jay."

"I know." He kissed the top of her head.

Mal closed her eyes, wanting to just enjoy that moment with him. Whatever happened after Evie and Carlos arrived would endanger some or all of them in one way or another. If they didn't succeed and remained trapped on the Isle, Jay's punishments and depression would likely only get worse. And if they actually made it to Auradon, they would have to convince Ben that they deserved to stay there and not get sent right back to isolation on the Isle. For the past week, Mal had tried not to think of how she felt about Jay for those exact same reasons. She had no certainty about what would happen in their immediate future. As much as she found herself wanting to hold Jay and console him, she was worried. She didn't want either one of them to get hurt. Their friendship mattered most, but it seemed that the line between friendship and romance was beginning to blur for more than just her.

A knock came on the window, and Mal opened her eyes. She released Jay's hand and drew the curtains open. Evie and Carlos were perched on the ledge outside. In an instant, she unbolted the window and let them in.

"Mal, I really don't know if this is going to work," was the first thing Carlos said. He was holding his invention - a plain box with some knobs on it. He had added what appeared to be a miniature satellite dish to the top of it.

"Well, we have to try," Mal said, walking to her bed and picking up her backpack. She slung it over her shoulder. "Does everyone have everything they need? Money, maps, change of clothes?"

They all nodded. Evie and Carlos each had a backpack as well. Mal had elected to carry Jay's stuff for him in hers so he wouldn't have to have the weight on his wounds. She had packed everything she thought they would need to travel through Auradon: a map of the country, clothes for both her and Jay, her half of the money that she and Evie had earned from doing makeovers for the girls at Auradon Prep, and few other items she didn't want left on the Isle.

"Good. Let's go."

They took turns climbing out the window and disappearing down into the street below. Mal was the last one out, and she shut the window behind her. She didn't need her mom to get home early and have even the slightest hint of anything suspicious about Mal's whereabouts.

"How long will it take to cross the channel?" Evie asked as they neared their destination. They had spent fifteen minutes in silence as they took alleys to get to Ursula's Fish and Chips stand on the other side of town. There was a boathouse next door that usually had some small boats for loan fisherman or other people to rent. The barrier didn't extend far into the water, so most people didn't bother with fish anyhow. Anything that close to shore wasn't big enough for a meal unless it was caught in bulk.

"Not long," Mal said. "After we're through the barrier, I should be able to use a spell to propel us across."

Jay opened the door to the boathouse and grimaced. "Hopefully, these can handle a spell. They look like they leak." He walked to the other end of the building and lifted the exit door. The moonlight illuminated the boats closest to the exit.

Evie walked down the platform and peered into one. "This one looks ok." She stepped down into it, and it swayed on the water. "It's good. Let's try it."

Carlos, Jay, and Mal followed. Jay handed Carlos an oar, and together the two boys steered the simple boat out into open water.

"Ok, that's where the barrier should stop, Carlos," Mal said, pointing a good ten yards away. The boys stopped rowing. She glanced up at the broken bridge, which was visible from their position. Yep, with the barrier running in line with the bridge, it would be right where she was pointing.

Carlos handed his oar off to Evie and picked up his machine. Taking a deep breath, he turned the satellite dish so it was pointing at the barrier. "Ok. Everybody hold on." He pressed a switch on the side, and it gave a faint beep. After a moment, the satellite dish began to glow.

Mal waited, her heart thumping wildly. Then, when she thought they just might have to turn around and go back, a stream of energy shot from the dish and collided with an invisible wall yards away from them. It slowly, but steadily, began to grow in girth to make a bigger hole.

"Come on. Come on," Carlos mumbled. The machine was shaking in his hands. It was beeping more frequently now. The dish on top sparked, and the machine shuddered. Carlos's grip on the box tightened. Then the energy beam died, and the dish sputtered. It sparked again, and the machine whined, sounding like it had died.

"Did it do it?" Mal looked back toward the barrier. "Do you think it made it big enough?"

Carlos cradled the machine in his lap. "I think so. It better have. This might be our only shot. It sounds like all the circuits fried."

Mal nodded, her mouth dry as Jay and Evie started rowing the boat in the direction of the hole. When they were close to the spot Carlos had hit, Jay grumbled and lowered his head.

"Well, I found the top of the hole. Duck," he said, keeping his own head low as they kept rowing.

Mal reached up and felt for the edge of the barrier. After a moment, her hand hit something solid and glass-like. She lowered her hand and smiled. They were through.

"Ok, hold on," she said. She opened her backpack from where it was sitting between her feet and pulled out her mother's spellbook. She turned to the page for the spell she remembered using at the museum on their first night in Auradon. A little adaptation and it would be fine. Hopefully. "Make it easy, make it quick; give this boat a little kick."

The boat lurched forward. It felt like someone had given it a high power engine that was shooting them across the channel. In moments, the shore was coming up to meet them. It was coming way too fast. Mal panicked as she tried to think of a spell that would work. "Undo the words, take it back; give us a little slack."

The boat slowed just in time and it slid to a stop on the beach.

"Let's not do that again," Carlos whined. He tumbled out of the boat, one hand to his mouth. He looked seriously pale.

Mal climbed out of the boat and looked around. They weren't far from the Auradon side of the bridge, the same place they had entered Auradon the first time. She plucked a folded piece of paper from her backpack and unfolded it. "Evie, Carlos, we can probably go with you guys as far as the city," Mal said.

"You...what do you mean?" Evie asked. "Where are you going? Why are we splitting up?"

Mal looked at Jay. He seemed confused, one eyebrow raised. Mal swallowed and turned to Carlos. "You know what to do, right? Just convince him. No matter what it takes."

Carlos nodded and then looked at Evie's questioning glare. He sighed. "Mal told me that Jay knows who his mother his. She lives here in Auradon somewhere. Mal wants you and me to go talk to Ben. It's not going to be the four of us convincing him we should get to stay. Mal and Jay are going north. To Agrabah."

"Agrabah?" Evie asked. Then she gasped, her hands going to her mouth. "No," she breathed, staring at Jay. "Your mom's..."

Jay nodded and looked at Mal. "I didn't agree to this part of the plan, Mal."

Mal swallowed. "You said you missed your only chance. I was just-"

"No. I'm grateful. I'm just..." Jay shook his head. "I'm scared to meet her."

Mal smiled softly and nodded. She looked back to Evie and Carlos. "We'll try to get back here soon to talk to Ben ourselves. But this way, we have two shots at convincing him. It's possible guards could find you and send you back to the Isle without even telling Ben. It's safer to split up regardless. Take alleys and any other backstreets possible to get to Ben. Just stay out of sight until you can get him alone."

"How far is Agrabah?" Evie asked.

"Other side of the mountains, but there should be a train we can take through to the other side or something. With any luck, you won't even need our help convincing Ben," Mal said. Even as she said it, Mal wasn't confident in her words. She had no idea how Ben felt toward them. Even if they could convince him, they would have to get him alone first. Until they found him, they would have to treat everyone like an enemy. No one could be trusted, including old friends. The coronation had been televised, so those who hadn't seen Mal give the wand to her mother in person had surely seen it on TV. None of them were safe, but the hope that Evie and Carlos could find Ben and she and Jay could find Jasmine looked more promising than the future they had left behind on the Isle.


	6. Chapter 6

"Do you even think she'll want to see me?" Jay asked quietly. He stood in front of the mirror in the hotel, brushing his fingers through his short hair. He seemed fascinated that his hair was so short that it didn't touch his ears.

"Do you want me to take the spell off?" Mal asked. She moved over to him, standing next to him to look at their reflections. She could barely recognize them, which was the point. She had used the same spell she had used at Auradon Prep to do Jane's hair so that she and Jay were seemingly unrecognizable. She had made his hair extremely short while hers was a shimmering light blonde, the shade of the first rays of sunshine. She hated it.

"I thought you said it was safer to keep the spell on until we reach Agrabah," Jay said, finally looking away from his reflection to raise an eyebrow at her.

Mal shrugged a shoulder. "It just seems like it's bothering you."

"Because I look like Aziz." Jay huffed out a breath and dropped his hand to his side.

"Who?" Mal asked. She followed him to the bed and sat down beside him. "Isn't that someone on the tourney team with you?"

Jay nodded. "He's Jasmine and Aladdin's son. He's a year younger than me. But, his hair looks like this. Maybe a little longer, I guess."

Mal frowned, thinking. She hadn't even thought about Jasmine having another child. Jay was in a position to gain a mother, father, and brother. But he was also able to lose hope of that much at any moment or even with a dismissal from the palace in Agrabah. But they had to get that far first.

They had spent much of the night travelling, taking a train through the mountains. Now, just after dawn, they had finally checked into a hotel a few miles outside of Agrabah's main city. Thanks to Mal's spell, no one had even looked at them twice. But now, Mal was getting nervous for Jay. If they made it to the palace and everything went smoothly, Jasmine could just as easily say she didn't want anything to do with Jay. And on top of that, she could call the authorities and get them sent back to the Isle immediately. But that was later. Right now, they needed to rest before going in for the confrontation.

"I've never talked to him though," Jay continued. "We've seen each other at practice of course, but...I don't know."

"Does he seem nice though?" Mal asked.

Jay shrugged a shoulder and laid down on his side. He plucked at a loose thread in the comforter and sighed. "I guess? People like him. Honestly, we act a lot alike. It scares me."

"Why?" Mal moved so she was laying on her side as well, facing Jay. She laid her hand on top of his to stop him nervously picking at the bed. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"A good thing?" Jay asked, his eyebrows raising. "How is it a good thing to see this boy who's so much like me have the life I never got a shot at just because my father is a villain? We could have..." He swallowed and looked down at their hands. "Mal, we could have been brothers."

"Technically, he is your brother. Half, I mean."

"It's not the same. He could be my full brother, but it still wouldn't change the fact we grew up in two completely different worlds." Jay raised his gaze to meet Mal's. "You never answered, by the way."

"What? Oh." Mal shifted and moved her hand to stroke the back of Jay's wrist with her thumb. "I think she'll want to see you Jay. I think that, regardless of how she felt back when you were born, there has to be some part of her that genuinely feels motherly toward you and that wants to know you as her son. I just...I don't want you to be crushed if that's not what happens or if she has a bad reaction at first. You're showing up on her doorstep. I mean...what are you going to say?"

Jay shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. I'm afraid they'll have guards that will catch us and recognize us. Or that Aladdin will open the door and kill me just for being Jafar's son. I mean, really, if everything went smoothly and I saw her first...I don't know what I'd say. Will she even recognize me?"

Mal grinned. "I would think so. Though, maybe not show up with the short hair. She might be really confused since you say you and Aziz look alike."

Jay laughed and nodded. Then he tugged on the end of Mal's hair. She had lengthened it as well when turning it blonde. "I can't get used to this. Never make me get used to this."

Mal smiled and turned her head to press her lips to his fingers in a brief kiss. "I won't, trust me. It's bizarre. I look like that princess they call Rapunzel or something."

Jay shook his head. "You're much prettier than any princess they have here, Mal. Inside and out."

Mal ducked her head, her cheeks flushing with heat. Even though Ben had subjected her to compliments on multiple occasions, she still wasn't used to hearing them.

"Mal," Jay said softly. "Mal, look at me."

Mal looked up, fixing her green eyes on his dark brown set. "What?"

"You don't believe me," he stated.

"I...I believe you. I just...I don't know what to say," Mal said.

Jay leaned closer, and Mal's breathing instantly went shallow. He was so close. Just millimeters away. "Don't say anything then." And he kissed her softly. Then heatedly. And repeatedly. Until all her thoughts and all his touches to her body blurred into oblivion.


	7. Chapter 7

"How are we supposed to get him alone? This is a nightmare," Evie whispered. She was peeking through the bushes with Carlos crouched next to her.

They were just outside the courtyard where many Auradon Prep students normally ate their lunch at picnic tables on the lawn. A row of neatly trimmed bushes acted as a barrier between Evie and Carlos and the lawn. The brick wall of the school was just behind them, so Carlos had pointed out there was hardly any chance of being caught since no one would have a reason to go beyond those bushes.

Carlos and Evie had spent the night in his and Jay's old dorm room. After parting ways with Mal and Jay on the outskirts of the city, they had headed straight for the school. It hadn't been super easy, but he and Evie had managed to sneak into the dorms and pick the lock to his old room. He knew both his and Evie's rooms would still be empty at that point, but he had reasoned that his and Jay's room would be closer to Ben's since it was on the boys' side of the dorm hall. It had been strange entering the room again, which was completely void of life. No tourney jerseys or half-eaten pizzas in sight. Just neatly made beds and darkness.

They hadn't risked turning on any lights, afraid that someone outside or in a neighboring room would look out and see lights on where they weren't supposed to be. They didn't need to get caught for stupid slip-ups, so they functioned completely in the dark. As soon as the sun had come up, Carlos had been awake. Whether from nerves or hunger, he couldn't have been sure. He had waited until the time for first period to start had begun and then roused Evie. Together, while everyone was in class, they had sneaked out and taken up their current position to wait until lunch break.

But getting into Auradon Prep had been one thing. Getting Ben alone was exactly as Evie had stated: a nightmare. They had seen him pass through the courtyard several times on his way to class already that morning. Now, he was finally sitting down for lunch and he was completely surrounded. Chad, Audrey, and some of Carlos's former tourney teammates were all sitting at a table with Ben. Dude, the campus mutt, was curled up near the group, his tail wagging as he waited for the inevitable food they would feed him.

There was no way they were going to pull this off, Carlos thought.

"I know," Carlos said. "Any suggestions?"

As soon as he said it, Doug walked outside, and Carlos heard Evie suck in a breath. He silently prayed that she didn't do anything stupid. He knew she missed Doug more than anything about Auradon, even the fancy clothes and makeup, which was saying something. But still, he worried she wouldn't be able to contain herself.

"He looks happy," she whispered.

Carlos looked back through the small gap he had managed to make in the bushes. Doug was walking toward Ben's table, a lunch tray piled high with pizza and fruit. He laughed at something Chad said to him. Carlos looked back at Evie. "I'm sorry."

Evie shrugged a shoulder but didn't meet his eyes. She looked away, and Carlos turned back to watch the group. He wished that they were closer so he could hear what they were talking about. He needed something, anything, about where Ben was going to be that afternoon. All they needed was five minutes with him.

The fur collar of Carlos's jacket tickled his neck as a breeze swept through the passageway. Carlos scratched his neck.

"Dude," Doug shouted, laughing. "Come back, boy."

Carlos froze for a split second and then rushed to shift his weight to peer through the bush again. That was when fifteen pounds of dog slammed into his chest as it burst through the lower twigs of the bush.

"Dude," Carlos breathed, trying to push the dog off as it licked him.

"He must have smelled you," Evie said. She sounded frantic, but she had managed to keep her voice quiet. She crawled over to Carlos and pulled Dude back.

Carlos sat up, wiping the slobber off his face. "I'm happy to see you too, boy. Evie, we-"

"Doug." Evie's voice squeaked, and her eyes were suddenly locked on something, or someone, a few feet above Carlos's head.

Carlos felt ice seep into every nerve in his body, freezing him to the spot. He slowly moved his head, shifting to look over his shoulder. Doug stood on the other side of the bushes, the foliage stopping at mid-chest height. He was staring at them, or rather at Evie.

"What is it, Doug?" Chad called.

Doug seemed to snap out of his own frozen state. He looked over his shoulder. "Nothing, just a rabbit again. I'll get him." With that, he turned back to Evie and Carlos and pushed through the bushes. The bushes looked totally undisturbed as soon as Doug was through, resealing the barrier between them and the lunch lawn.

"What are you doing here?" Doug asked, crouching beside Evie. She was just petting Dude's head silently, her eyes locked on Doug's face. When she didn't answer, he looked at Carlos.

Carlos was at a loss for words, not sure what to say or where to even start. Instead, his stomach tried to answer by grumbling its dissatisfaction with not being fed that morning. That jolted Carlos back into speaking properly. "We..." He swallowed. "Long story," he decided after a moment. "But we need to see Ben."

"I don't-"

"Doug, we have to. We need to see him alone," Carlos said, seeming to exhale all the words at once.

Doug sighed and took Dude from Evie. "Where are you two staying right now?"

Carlos looked at Evie. Could they trust him not to turn around and tell Ben or Fairy Godmother? They would be cornered in that room if anyone came after them.

Evie nodded.

Carlos looked back to Doug. "Mine and Jay's room. I knew it would be empty."

Doug nodded. "Go back there as soon as you can. I'll stop by after classes are over for the day. Actually, probably after band practice. I can't promise about Ben." He made to stand, but Carlos grabbed his arm.

"Can you...I know we're not in the position to ask favors, but...is there any way you might get us some food?" Carlos asked. His stomach was now fully awake and growled again in agreement.

"I'll see what I can do." Doug stood and pushed his way back through the bushes, Dude tucked under his arm.

* * *

It was almost dark when a knock came at the door. Carlos and Evie looked up. They had been sitting at the table in the room, talking about whether they thought Mal and Jay had safely reached Agrabah yet and how they would try to get Ben alone the next day if Doug couldn't, or wouldn't, help.

Carlos padded to the door. They had taken off their shoes as extra precaution in case anyone below heard them walking around. He waited behind the door, not sure what to do. His heart pounded. What if it wasn't Doug or Ben? What if...

"It's us," said a voice outside the door.

Carlos let out a breath, relief flooding through him. He unlocked and opened the door before moving to stand back.

Doug walked in, followed by Jane. She shut the door behind them and locked it.

"Jane?" Carlos's mouth was instantly dry. He had avoided all thought of her the best he could up until then. All day, he had prayed he wouldn't see her, because then he would have been the one they had to worry about blowing their cover. He had missed her. Yes, he had definitely missed her more than he even realized. Adrenaline shot through him, making his heart hammer. He didn't know what to do or say. His palms were suddenly extremely sweaty. Or maybe they weren't. He really wasn't sure. He was lightheaded from hunger.

"Carlos, you asked for food," Doug said pointedly. Out of the corner of his eye, Carlos registered that Doug had set a pizza box down on the table.

"Right. I..." But Carlos's gaze was still on Jane. She was just standing there, staring back at him. "Jane, I'm...I've..."

She strode forward, and for a moment, Carlos thought she might smack him. But then she pulled his face to hers and kissed him, hard.

His arms slid around her waist as he kissed her back, his fingers clinging to the material of her periwinkle dress that he had missed seeing so much. His whole body seemed to relax as if he had let out a breath he had held for far too long.

"I've missed you," she whispered after she pulled back, her lips just centimeters from his.

Carlos was hyper-aware of her thumb stroking his cheek as he blushed. "I've missed you too."

"Carlos," Doug said, snapping Carlos back to the situation at hand.

Carlos turned to see Evie and Doug both sitting at the table. She was already eating a piece of pepperoni pizza.

"We don't have much time," Doug said. "I have a meeting for a group project, and Fairy Godmother will be expecting Jane for dinner."

Carlos nodded and took his seat at the table. Jane sat next to him. "So, you...uh, you told others that we're here." Not that Carlos was complaining in this instance. He took a slice of pizza and began eating.

"Just Jane. I knew she missed you, and I also knew she shared my views on what happened at the coronation," Doug said.

"Which are?" Carlos asked, his mouth full of spicy pepperoni.

"That it was unfair," Doug said. "One, there was no reason to punish all four of you when it was Mal's decision to give her mother the wand. Two, Mal shouldn't even be blamed. I can't imagine facing Maleficent even when she isn't your mother. It must be incredibly hard to resist her when she actually is. And three, it wasn't Beast's place to send you all away. Ben was officially king by that point. He just didn't say anything, and in the confusion and heat of the moment, nobody seemed to care that Beast was still giving orders."

Carlos nodded. A weight on his chest was starting to lessen. They actually had people on their side in Auradon.

"You all should be here," Jane said. "It's where you belong. You all proved that at the coronation. Like Doug said, I can't imagine trying to stand up to Maleficent. I can't even stand up to my mom."

"So, you guys want us back?" Evie asked.

"Of course we do," Doug said. He laced his fingers together on top of the table. "But...wait...I don't understand. How did you all get here? The barrier was repaired as soon as you all were sent back."

"Carlos built something to break it. Just a hole big enough for us to get through," Evie explained.

"And by 'us', you mean..."

"All four of us. Jay and Mal are..." Carlos looked at Evie. If Jay had kept his mother's identity secret for years, he was guessing there was no way it was public knowledge in Auradon. "They're tracking down Jay's mother. He had a lead, and we figured it would be best to split up anyways so not all four of us were caught together."

Doug nodded. "And I'm guessing the plan is to talk to Ben and see if he'll reverse the exile sentence?"

"Exactly."

"It's going to be nearly impossible to get him alone. Since he's started kingly duties, he's been bouncing from school to tourney practice and games to the palace every day. If it's not friends or team members, it's a member of the royal guard with him."

"Can you possibly get him to come up here?" Carlos asked. He reached for another slice, having nearly inhaled the first in his dire hunger.

"I can try. But that's my point. He's always busy. I don't know if I can get him up here without making him suspicious."

"Even if you have to tell him..." Carlos swallowed. He took a deep breath. "Look, even if you have to tell him why he needs to come up here, just make sure he doesn't run off and tell somebody. We need to make the case to him alone. We can't go back to the Isle, Doug. We just can't. Things have gotten worse."

Jane raised an eyebrow. "Your parents are being worse?"

Carlos nodded. "Some more than others. But it's just..." He shook his head. "We can't go back. We don't have a choice anymore. By now, they'll have noticed we're missing and they'll be even more angry at us."

Doug nodded. "The coronation was broadcast to the Isle. I can only imagine what you went back to."

Carlos and Evie both nodded.

"I'll try to get Ben up here. We want you guys back. We miss you." Doug glanced at Evie. "So much."

"But no more sneaking around campus. You could have been caught," Jane said, shaking her head. "Just stay here. We'll handle Ben. And either I or Doug will bring you guys food. Don't go out again."

"I-" Carlos tried to interject.

"Promise me."

Carlos closed his mouth and nodded.

"Good. It's settled," Doug said. "Anything else before we go?"

Carlos ate another bite before speaking. "Has Ben said anything about all of this?"

"Honestly?" Doug shrugged. "I think he's kept himself busy on purpose. Distraction is a great way to avoid emotions. And as ironic as it sounds, I think he feels pretty powerless."

"Why?" Evie asked. "He's the king."

"I know. But he was already ridiculed for inviting you all here. People thought he was wrong to trust you guys, but at least he believed in himself. When Mal gave Maleficent the wand, you heard what Beast said. It was basically a lengthened version of 'I told you so'. Ben looked like a fool in front of every single citizen of Auradon. It made him question his judgment. That's not a good way to start your reign if you ask me. And to top it off...I mean, you know how he felt about Mal."

Carlos was silent, slowly chewing his pizza. He swallowed. "You're acting like it broke his heart."

"No," Doug said. "I think it did much more than that. I think it actually broke him."


	8. Chapter 8

"I think I'm going to be sick, Mal," Jay said. He had just finished pulling his hair back into a ponytail after Mal had removed the spell that had changed their appearances. If he only got even a moment with his mother, he wanted it to be as himself, not anything or anyone else.

They had slept till the early afternoon and then walked to the palace at Agrabah. Now, they were standing outside the front gate. The mansion was visible from the gate, only a short driveway lined with trees setting it back from the road. In front of them though was a intercom system with a doorbell.

"I can't do this," Jay said, turning to Mal. "They'll send me away before I even get the chance to-"

"Jay," Mal said softly. She reached for his hand and entwined their fingers. "You've got to try."

They had briefly entertained the idea of scaling the gate and just walking up to the front door, but the perimeter wall was slick and shiny. There were no footholds, and the metal gate beside them was the same. This was the only option now.

Jay nodded and pressed the button on the intercom. Instantly, a camera above their heads swiveled to put them in better focus. Jay swallowed hard.

There was silence for a few moments, and then...gibberish and animalistic muttering. It was a monkey.

"Abu! What did I tell you about answering the intercom?" came a male voice. He laughed, his voice growing louder as he must've gotten closer to the unit inside the mansion. Then there was a pause. "Hello, who is this?"

Jay glanced at Mal and then looked up at the camera. "It's..." He looked back at the intercom. "My name is Jay. I'm looking for Princess Jasmine. Uh, I mean, Queen Jasmine? I...yeah."

Mal squeezed his hand gently, and he gave a grateful, nervous squeeze in return.

"Jay..." The man seemed to mull over the name for a moment. Then a spike of adrenaline shot down Jay's spine when the man asked, "As in...Jafar's son?"

"Yes, I...are you Aladdin?" Jay asked.

There was silence, and Jay was ready for sirens to go off. Aladdin must have been calling the authorities. They were going to be arrested and sent back to the Isle. That couldn't happen. Jay's pulse jumped, ready to spring into action if he had to run.

But then there was a metal click, and the gate swung open.

"Come up to the door. I'll get my wife."

* * *

Abu was the one who opened the door and ushered Jay and Mal in with a series of wild gestures. He jabbered at them constantly as he shut the door behind them. Then he gestured at their feet and waved his arms around, acting as if they were being totally rude.

Jay just hesitantly wiped his boots on the doormat. That seemed to calm the monkey, who then tugged on his jeans to lead them through the foyer.

Voices were coming from down the hall. They sounded like they were trying to be quiet, but the effort was futile. The vaulted ceilings and long hallways just seemed to magnify their voices.

"At least Aziz isn't here," a female voice was saying. "We should have told him."

"We didn't know he would show up on our doorstep years later," a second voice said. It was the one from the intercom, the one whom Jay assumed was Aladdin.

"Yes, but we knew about Ben's decree. They played on the same tourney team for heaven's sake," said the woman. "We should have told Aziz the instant we knew Jay was one of the four chosen. We knew they would meet."

"But Aziz could never have guessed that they're...that they're brothers." Aladdin sighed. There was a pause. Then, when Abu had stopped Jay and Mal just outside an open doorway, he said, "I know you've always wanted to meet him."

Abu charged into the room, jabbering excitedly. Jay and Mal followed him into the kitchen where the monkey scampered up onto the central island and took an apple out of a bowl of fruit and began to eat.

Standing at the island was a lean man in his early forties. He wore beige cargo shorts, an open maroon button down shirt, and nothing on his feet. His black hair was tousled as if he had just gotten up from a nap.

Seated on the other side of the island on a stool was a woman with braided black hair. She wore white slacks and a flowing blue shirt that cinched at the wrists. A sapphire ring adorned her left hand.

When Jay and Mal entered, they both stopped speaking and looked up.

Jay's heart felt like it had stopped. The only one in the room moving was Abu, who was already halfway through his apple somehow. The monkey just looked between Aladdin and Jasmine and then to Jay and Mal.

It was Jasmine who moved first. She stood and walked over to Jay. And before he could utter a word of explanation, she had thrown her arms around him and pulled him into a hug, sobbing. Jay returned the hug after a moment of shock. Then he felt tears spring to his own eyes, and he buried his face against the woman's shoulder.

Jasmine pulled back and lifted Jay's face. She smiled. "I've waited so long for this day."

"You...you have?" Jay sniffled and wiped at his eyes. "But I thought...you..." He paused, thinking. "Why did you send me away after I was born then?"

Jasmine's happiness vanished. Confusion and sadness replaced it, her brow creasing. "I...I didn't. I..." Then she pulled back, her eyes flaring. "Is that what he told you? Jafar told you I didn't want you?"

Jay nodded. He glanced at Mal, who had moved to Jasmine's vacated stool and was peeling an orange Abu had offered her. Aladdin was staring at the island countertop as if he had found an imperfection deep within the granite and was trying to burn it away with his gaze.

"Ugh, I can't believe him!" Jasmine snapped, and Jay's attention turned back to her instantly. She had stepped away, her hands balled into fists. "It wasn't my decision to send you away."

Assuming, Jay's gaze flickered to Aladdin and back to Jasmine.

Jasmine shook her head. "We both wanted you. It was Beast. I've never liked that man."

"Wait, Beast sent Jay away?" Mal asked after swallowing a slice of orange.

Jasmine nodded. "He found out Jay was Jafar's son and had him sent to the Isle. It didn't matter what I wanted. He thought Jay being even half villain was enough to warrant sending him away. He was paranoid."

Mal rolled her eyes. "The more I hear or experience of Beast, the less I like him."

A light smile had touched Jay's mouth though, turning the corners up. "You...you wanted me?" Somewhere inside him, there was fury that wanted to lash out at his father and Beast for lying to him and sending him away in the first place. All his life, he had felt unwanted. But, the happiness of hearing his mother actually wanted him was overriding any anger at that moment.

"Yes. How could I not? You were my boy." She smiled sadly.

"I just thought...well, I guess it doesn't matter what I was told," Jay said. He looked at Aladdin who was still staring at the tabletop. "I am sorry for intruding like this today."

"It's not that," Aladdin said quietly. "I just hate Jafar. For everything he put us through. For taking advantage of Jasmine. Just...everything. I'm sorry you had to live with him."

"That's actually..." Mal glanced at Jay before continuing. "That's actually partly why we're here. Our friends, Evie and Carlos, are in Auradon right now trying to convince Ben that we should all get to stay. We...it's bad back on the Isle. Worse than before. Jafar is...well, our parents..."

"Are abusive," Jasmine said plainly as if she were talking about the weather. "I know." She looked back at Jay. "I don't know what he's done to you. And I'm sure I don't want to ask, so let's leave it at that. But, if you're saying you want our help convincing Ben..."

Mal nodded. "We...we don't know who's on our side over here. We-"

A small electronic tablet lying near the stove flickered to life with a loud beep, cutting Mal off. Aladdin moved to retrieve it with a frown.

"What's-" Jay started, but his voice failed him as he saw his, Mal's, Evie's, and Carlos's faces displayed on the screen Aladdin was now holding. They were the photos from their Auradon Prep IDs, but out of context now they looked more like mugshots. Underneath them ran a banner that read 'Warning: Escaped Villains'.

The system gave another beep, then an electronic voice said, "This is an emergency alert. Repeat, this is an emergency alert. Late last night, four individuals were seen leaving the Isle of the Lost and making their way toward Auradon. These are suspected to be the former Auradon Prep rehabilitation program students. Suspects are likely armed and highly dangerous. Any tips should be directed to the Auradon Hotline at 1-800-AUR-ADON."

The message repeated twice. When the system finally went silent, the pictures and the warning banner didn't disappear until Aladdin had turned off the tablet. There was silence in the room except for Abu munching on a banana.

Then Mal stood suddenly. "Aladdin, Jasmine, please, you have to believe that-"

Jasmine waved her hand. "I know. I know you're good. It's not us you have to convince. And right now, you need to find your friends and find Ben. If anyone else finds you first, you'll just be deported back to the Isle."

Mal nodded. "But, they're in Auradon. It'll take days..."

Aladdin shook his head. Then he grinned. "Not my way. Come on." He strode from the room. And out in the corridor, they heard him call out, "Hey, Carpet!"


	9. Chapter 9

Ben sat at the table in Jay and Carlos's room, his head lying on his arms on the table. His father was shouting. Evie was crying. And he couldn't even hear Carlos, but the boy seemed to at least have enough sense to not argue back to Beast.

"We accept you graciously into our city, and you repay us by proving you're the traitorous scum I always suspected you were!" Beast was shouting.

Ben moved his arms, trying to cover his head to block out some of his father's booming voice.

"We didn't...we...I..." Evie tried to speak but was overcome quickly by her crying again. It wouldn't have mattered anyhow. Beast would drown out anyone who talked.

The last few hours had been a blur for Ben. They had gotten a call at the palace about suspicious activity caught on the coast guard's camera near the docks. It had taken some time due to visibility and lighting in the video, but the guards had confirmed that four teenagers from the Isle had indeed come ashore Auradon the previous night. Then it had taken some time to trace them by additional cameras throughout the city, especially since they had split up. They had confirmed Evie and Carlos's whereabouts first, but that was only after cameras had also caught an interaction between them and Doug outside the lunch courtyard.

That was how Ben had ended up in this room in the first place. He had rushed off to find Doug, wanting him to fill him in and take him to Evie and Carlos. But by the time Doug had told him where they were staying and Ben had reached the room, he had been too late. His father had beat him to it. And, well, getting in a word at all with him around was impossible. And now, it was nearing midnight.

"You think you can come back after that little show at the coronation?" Beast thundered on. "Well think again. You'll be sent back to the Isle. Security will be increased..."

Ben didn't hear the threats that followed. Blood was pounding in his ears, and he struggled to stay seated. His father was no longer king. It wasn't his place to decide their fate or punishments; it was Ben's. It seemed that in the past month or so since the coronation that not much had changed. Beast still acted as if he was king, and people still followed his orders. The only difference now was that they usually cast a wary glance to Ben first before leaving the room and carrying out those orders. Did they expect him to say something? Did they expect him to actually rule? His confidence was gone. It was shattered, just like his heart. He had been so sure of trusting Mal and her friends. He had felt things for Mal that he had never felt for Audrey. He had bonded with Jay and Carlos over tourney and pizza. He had even talked to Evie one-on-one when he had needed help with a lab report in biology and Doug had been too busy to help. He had trusted all four of them. And they had destroyed that trust.

But he couldn't help feeling a bit like he had before they had even arrived for the first time. They didn't belong on the Isle. He still believed that even after the coronation disaster. He guessed, but couldn't locate, that a part of himself had seen the fear in Mal's eyes when she saw her mother. He had seen her uncertainty. She had been so scared. But the hurt in his heart beat louder than the rational thoughts inside his head could yell to him. It hurt to think about them all, especially her. He knew he could forgive them. Knew they could try again. But everything was so loud. His father was so loud. He just wanted to dissolve into the floor and disappear.

"Postively embarassing, and I-"

A knock came at the door, cutting Beast off mid-rant and causing Ben to raise his head. But whoever was outside decided not to wait for someone to answer the door. It opened, and four people walked inside.

"Jasmine, Aladdin." Beast's volume had lowered to a normal decibel to address the rulers of Agrabah. His gaze swept over Mal and Jay. "Ah, that's where the other half of Team Terrible went then."

Ben looked from Jay to Aladdin and Jasmine, trying to piece together what his father meant. Then something strange clicked, and his heart twisted painfully in his chest. Of course...why hadn't he thought of it before? The villains on the Isle would never get along well enough to populate an entire island with children. Some of them had to have had parents who were Auradon citizens. In fact, maybe most of them were like that.

"Mal," Evie hiccuped. "Are you alright?"

Ben looked back at Mal. Evie was right. Mal looked like she was going to be sick.

Mal shook her head and waved a hand dismissively. "Flying carpet," she answered breathlessly. She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed.

What happened next made Ben see red. Jay reached for Mal's hand and entwined their fingers. Then, raising their joined hands, he kissed the back her hand before also pressing a kiss to her temple. She closed her eyes and pecked his cheek. Ben's entire chest lurched like he was falling, and he stood suddenly.

Everyone looked at him.

"So," he said slowly. He paused. He hadn't planned his next words. He had just known he had to remind Mal he was there. If she didn't feel anything for him anymore, then fine. But that didn't mean she had to rub it in by being so cozy with Jay in front of him. "What are you all doing here?"

Mal glanced from Ben to Beast and back again. "We had to come," she said quietly, detaching herself from Jay.

"Why? Get a taste of Auradon and don't want to go back to the Isle? You lived there all your life. It can't be that bad," Ben said. His whole body felt numb, but the words tasted like acid in his mouth. It was as if his father had somehow gotten inside his head and he was now speaking for both of them.

"Ben," she breathed softly. She shook her head. "No, that's not it at all. We don't miss the lifestyle. We miss the people. We miss you and all the other friends we made."

Around the room, Jay, Evie, and Carlos all bobbed their heads in agreement.

"Yeah," Ben said flatly, ignoring them. "Seems like it." His gaze dipped back to where Mal's and Jay's fingers had twisted themselves together again.

"It's worse there too," Carlos said softly. He was sitting on his old bed, a pillow clutched tightly to his chest. "Our parents...they're worse."

"And that's our problem?" Beast snapped. "You deserve it."

Ben was silent for a moment. Then he asked, "Worse how?"

"More aggressive," Carlos said.

"More abusive," Evie chimed in, glancing at Jay pointedly.

"More...dangerous," Mal finished.

Ben just grunted. "Villains always lash out. They'll settle down." He wasn't even sure what he was doing. Seeing Mal and Jay together had set him off more than he realized. Was he looking for an excuse to send them back?

"Please," Jasmine said, walking over to him. "Ben, what happened at the coronation was a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes."

"That mistake almost cost us this entire kingdom. And don't talk to me about mistakes," Ben said, his anger only growing the longer he talked. "I made the biggest one by inviting them all here."

Beast smiled, seeming satisfied now. That had to be the only reason Ben was still talking, the only reason his father hadn't started shouting over him. For once, they agreed. But Ben didn't really agree. He was just tired. He was tired of not having a say. He was tired of not being in control. He had to do something. Something reasonable. But he had to keep talking. And in order to do that, he had to make it seem like his father and himself were on the same side. That was the only way Beast would actually listen and let people talk.

Jasmine stepped closer. "Ben, please. I've already lost sixteen years not knowing my son. Please, let him stay. Let them all stay."

Ben saw the desperation in her eyes. He saw the fear. But something like a stone hand curled around his heart and squeezed. That should have been Mal begging him to stay. She should have been saying she was sorry. She should have been explaining how she could care so much for him and then show up and kiss Jay now.

He fought back tears, unsure of what to do. He knew in his heart that they should stay. The Isle was no place for them. And if it was true...if their parents had gotten that much worse...

"If you want to see him, then you are welcome to move to the Isle with him," Ben snarled. Inside, he felt like he was crying, and he was sure as soon as he left the room he would let those emotions out. But he couldn't think straight at the moment. Too many conflicting emotions were trying to win over his decision. How could he be rational right then? It was so much simpler to be angry than compassionate. Maybe that was why his father was angry all the time.

Jasmine looked crestfallen. "Please...reconsider, Ben."

Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine!" He said. He wasn't certain of anything anyhow, so maybe indecision was the best decision. "Fine," he continued, softer now. "They will go back to the Isle tonight, and I will think more on this in the morning."

"A very diplomatic answer," Beast grumbled, but he wasn't shouting. Maybe he thought Ben would choose the 'right' thing and just keep them there once they were on the Isle. Beast patted Ben on the shoulder, but Ben shrugged his hand off.

Ben didn't look at any of their faces as he left the room. He wasn't sure he could. He was sentencing them back to punishment. A punishment he wasn't sure they'd ever return from. But he didn't know what else to do. He needed to think clearly, and the only way he felt he could do that was if they were all very far away from him. He needed to breathe. He needed less pressure. So, they had to go. For just one night. Just for a few hours at least.


	10. Chapter 10

They arrived back on the Isle sometime around one in the morning. Ben's driver dropped them off a few yards away from the edge of the bridge then turned around and sped back across the channel.

"He'll change his mind, right?" Evie asked quietly in the darkness. Only the moon that hung above the water made anything visible. Her voice was a whisper, not wanting to alert anyone to their presence. The Isle was silent, but that didn't mean no one was around.

"Yeah, of course he will," Mal said. But she didn't sound confident. It came out as more of a sigh.

"So, what do we do?" Carlos asked. "Just...just go home?"

"I don't think we have a choice," Mal answered. "We've already been gone a full twenty-four hours, I expect. Our parents are already probably super angry. If Ben doesn't change his mind, we'll have to face them eventually. I'd rather do that sooner than later. Their moods will only get worse the longer we're gone."

Slowly, Evie and Carlos nodded. But Jay felt his insides twist uncomfortably, threatening to make him vomit.

Mal looked at Jay and stepped closer so she was standing directly in front of him. "I can walk you home if you like. Maybe your dad is asleep."

Jay shook his head. "Not a chance. And no, I'll be fine. You guys go on home."

Mal frowned. "Are you sure?"

Jay nodded. "Yeah."

Evie hugged herself and looked around. "Well, you guys might not need walking home, but I have that walk through the forest." She glanced at the others pointedly.

"I'll take you," Carlos volunteered. "I'm not too eager to see Mom anyhow. She'll probably have me out washing the car from now until dawn if she's still up when I get there."

Evie thanked him, and then silence fell over the group again. None of them seemed ready to part. It meant seeing their parents, who were likely more angry than they had been before.

Jay was the one who pulled the trigger. "Ok, see you guys in the morning, alright?" He stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned to leave. As he walked away, he thought he heard Evie mutter something to the others. But he couldn't catch it, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. It was taking everything in him to walk home. But he knew he had to.

Once, he had stayed out until a little before daybreak with the others just running around the Isle for fun. When he had returned home around five or six in the morning, he had expected to be able to sneak up to bed without notice. But Jafar had been sitting in his tattered maroon armchair, his arms crossed over his chest and the whip lying in his lap. It had been one of the worst beatings Jay had ever gotten. So, yes, he knew he had to go home. Best to get it over with. Because he didn't expect Ben to change his mind. No, more than likely, they were now stuck back here forever. If he put off going home to Jafar, it would only make the impending punishment that much worse every second he delayed.

By the time he reached the junk shop, he was shaking. A tense tightening had started between his shoulder blades as if preparing for the worse. He severely wished it hadn't because that would only make it hurt worse.

He swallowed and walked inside.

The shop was pitch black. Not even Jafar's various candles that he kept lit at all hours, which was such a fire hazard with all the old fabrics that could be found lying around the shop, were lit. This made Jay's stomach do a sort of flop as he realized what was happening just as the door fell shut behind him. This had happened once before when Jay had been twelve. He had gotten angry at Jafar and pushed over an entire cabinet of porcelain, ceramics, and other not-entirely-worthless fragile items. They had smashed everywhere. Jafar had been so angry, and he had then blown out all the lights, using it as a scare tactic.

Jay backed up, knocking into a table. His memory replayed in his head of that one night four years ago. He had never mentioned to Mal just how awful his father could get. She thought it was only beatings. Just the whip and such. But things were about to get much, much worse.

The shop was silent though, but Jay wasn't fool enough to think his father could actually be asleep. No, Jafar was waiting, biding his time to scare Jay. The uncertainty of not knowing when and where something was coming from terrified Jay. Right now, his father, whose eyes had probably spent the last hour or so adjusting to the darkness in hopes Jay would return home, would be watching. He would find this entertaining to watch Jay stumble around in the dark, flinching at every whisper of wind that he thought was movement.

Finally, Jay's nerves worked themselves up and out of his mouth. "D-Dad?" he called softly into the dark shop. He needed to hear movement or breathing. He had to know where his father was before...

The initial thing that Jay had been fearing happened. Something was forced over his head. "No!" he yelped, his hands flying to his neck to wedge his fingers under the rope noose before it pulled taut. But Jafar was quicker, and the noose slid shut around Jay's throat. A strangled cry escaped his throat as he was pulled backward by the rope, like a leash for a dog. His airway constricted, and he was sure that had he been able to see anything in the shop, he would have been seeing spots.

Hands pushed him roughly, and he lost his balance. He fell to the floor, cracking his head on the way down against the edge of one of the many tables they had around the shop. A sudden weight on his chest caused what little air he had forced back into his lungs to abruptly leave him again. His eyes crossed briefly, and it took him a moment to realize his hands were being bound.

"No," he croaked, barely able to breathe but determined to force that word out. "Dad, please, don't."

"Quiet," Jafar barked, and Jay could smell the alcohol on his breath.

Jay's lungs collapsed even further if possible. If his father was unreasonable when he was sober, it was ten times worse when he had been drinking.

A moment later, Jay's hands were fully bound with the other end of the rope from his noose. He tried moving, wanting to push his father off, but he found that he was restrained. Jafar had apparently wrapped the rope around the leg of the table several times before tying Jay's hands. He was now tethered to the table, unable to lift his head more than a few inches and unable to move his hands from where they lay against his chest.

Panic rose in Jay's throat. No, no, this couldn't happen again. He wouldn't let it. He had been smaller back then. Weaker. He could fight him off now, couldn't he? But, how could he do so with his hands tied?

He gave a pull, straining at the ropes, but it only made his breathing shorter. He tried to twist his body, aiming to buck or toss Jafar off.

"Hold still," his father said gruffly.

But Jay refused. He would have to be unconscious or dead before he allowed his father to touch him like that again. To do...to do  _that_  again.

Yet however much Jay writhed beneath his father's heavy form, he couldn't move him. And his energy was quickly waning. The shop had slowly come into focus as his eyes had adjusted. It didn't make too much of a difference. Everything just looked black and shadowy. And if this was about to happen, he didn't want to see it anyhow. He'd rather tear out his eyes first. And with the pounding in his head from hitting it on the table in his fall, he wasn't even sure he'd notice the pain if he did just that.

"It'll hurt worse if you're not obedient." Even though the statement was a warning, Jafar sounded practically gleeful.

Jay immediately went limp. He was tired, and his efforts to dislodge Jafar from where he was sitting on his chest were fruitless. And he definitely didn't want to give his father the satisfaction of hurting him more than he already would. No, a plan was quickly forming in his mind.

Jafar then moved, with a grunted murmur of 'good' that seemed more disappointed than satisfied that Jay had stopped resisting. But Jay had only stopped resisting physically for the moment. In his mind, he was screaming. Screaming as his father slithered down so he was leaning over Jay. Screaming as Jafar undid Jay's belt. Screaming as Jafar moved to hover over him, his torso just above Jay's knees. This is what Jay had been waiting for. The scream he had held in then tore from his throat as he drove his knee upward as hard as he could into his father's sternum.

Jay thought he heard a 'crack!' as if several ribs had just been broken, and Jafar cried out, the wind leaving his lungs as he tumbled away from Jay. Jay knew he had weak lungs anyhow from years of smoking. He just hoped it disabled him long enough for him to escape.

Losing no time at all once his father had rolled off him, Jay turned his whole body toward the table leg he was attached to. With a groan and the constant tight pressure around his throat reminding him to be careful of which way he pulled, he began tugging at the table leg, trying to break it free.


	11. Chapter 11

Jay was lucky that Jafar had tied him to one of the weakest tables in the shop. They had a large mahogany one near the back with tree trunks for legs that would have been impossible to break. But this one, a flimsy and rickety table that held their lighter bobbles and knickknacks, looked promising.

Jay, still tied closely to the table leg, wrapped his hands around the thin leg and rammed his shoulder against it. With each consecutive push at the wood, his vision blurred more as the noose grew tighter still. But he had to break free. He had to get away. Jafar was only a few feet away and was slowly getting his breath back, though it sounded labored and almost like a slow rattle.

Jafar started to push himself up, and Jay gave a frustrated cry and threw himself forward against the table leg once more. The resulting tug on the rope almost made him pass out as his throat closed. But at the same moment, there was a satisfying 'snap!' as the leg broke away from the table. Jay clutched the severed table leg to his chest as he rolled away. The table teetered for a moment and then tipped sideways. A series of crashes and shattering sounds followed as assorted small items slid down the now slanting table and fell to the floor.

Jay was on his feet and out the door in an instant. Not looking back, he sprinted down the alley outside, heading for the nearest safe place he knew.

What seemed like ages later, but had actually only been a few minutes, Jay was throwing himself against Mother Gothel's door. He called for her, pleading for her to open the door as he continuously slammed his shoulder against her door. His hands were still bound, and the table leg was in his hands so that it wouldn't drag on the ground and pull on the noose around his neck.

What if she wasn't awake? He knew Jafar would likely follow him, and then what? Would Jafar kill him? Would he drag him back to the shop and continue his advances on Jay?

Jay's face was wet from tears. Or maybe some of it was blood. He thought it was likely both because he was definitely crying. He was scared, and the all too familiar feeling of suffocation from feeling trapped in his father's clutches was making him dizzy with adrenaline. And his head hurt. He had hit it on the table when he fell, and it felt like his hair was wet and sticky. Definitely blood.

"Please," Jay called through the door.

He nearly fell down again when the door was suddenly wrenched open. He had been leaning against it, winded from his efforts to get her attention or, alternatively, break it down. He stumbled inside, and Mother Gothel shut the door.

"Jay! What...what's going on? What has he done to you?!" She was staring at him, standing there in her nightgown as she took in the sight that he must be.

"We went to Auradon," Jay explained in a hurry. He tried to pull his hands apart, hoping that being free from the table would have loosened the bonds a bit. This snapped Mother Gothel back into action, and she disappeared into her kitchen. She returned with a knife and began cutting him loose. "I met...I met my mom. But Ben, he sent us back. Said he would think about taking us back. But, Dad...he...he was waiting up. And he..." He swallowed and decided on the clean version of the story. Telling her the truth of what Jafar had been about to do to him would have just made it worse in his mind. "He attacked me."

"You-" Mother Gothel began, but she stopped abruptly when something outside slammed against her front door.

Jay shook off the rope from his hands. She had managed to finish cutting through it just before Jafar had arrived. He pulled the noose loose and slipped it from his head. He watched Mother Gothel and then the front door, nervous as he stood there rubbing his neck and wrists. They felt bruised.

"JAY!" Jafar roared. Then they heard heavy breathing, and Jay was almost sure that meant the combination of breaking his ribs and having run after him to Mother Gothel's had severely hurt his oxygen supply. "Open. This. Door." There was a pause. Then the doorknob twisted, and the door opened.

Then realization seemed to dawn on both Mother Gothel and Jay. In their rush to get Jay inside and untied, they had forgotten to lock the door.

But it was too late. Jafar was already over the threshold, staring them down like a cobra ready to strike.

He slammed the door and rounded on Mother Gothel first. "You," he snarled. "Been patching him up all this time? I should have known." He advanced on her and grabbed her hair, forcing her head back. When she tried to turn the kitchen knife on him, he grabbed her wrist and forced it away.

Jay lunged forward. "Dad, don't! Stop. It's me you want. It's me you're angry at. Leave her out of this," he pleaded.

Jafar turned an appraising gaze on him, and he slowly smiled, showing his crooked teeth. "I would, Jay. But you dragged her into this, didn't you? Only fitting that she becomes part of your punishment."

Before Jay could move. Before he could say anything, Jafar had snatched the knife from Mother Gothel's hand. In an flash, he slashed it across her throat. Blood splattered Jay, but he didn't even notice. His heart had clenched painfully as he had seen Mother Gothel's eyes go wide. Then Jafar let her body drop to the floor.

"Now, you-"

But Jay didn't let his father finish. A horrified sort of rage had swept over him the instant Mother Gothel's body had hit the floor in a pile of limbs and gushing blood. He surged forward, forgetting everything else except the fact that he wanted to wipe that hideous, revolting smirk off his father's face. In the split second that Jafar glanced back to the lifeless body at his feet, Jay grabbed the knife from his hand and plunged it into his chest. Nothing but the handle was seen, meaning six inches of metal now resided in Jafar's heart.

Jafar gaped at Jay, a glazed look immediately taking over his eyes. He didn't even draw another breath. He pitched sideways and collapsed, dead.

The adrenaline still pounding in his ears, Jay froze. What had he done? He looked at the two lifeless bodies in front of him and felt the overwhelming urge to cry blossom in his chest and push up into his throat. This wasn't how he had wanted things to go. Mother Gothel had cared for him for years, and now because Jay had involved her, she was dead. And his father...well, he had never really liked Jafar but that didn't mean he wanted him dead. He was still his father. He had just wanted to get away from him. Just wanted the abuse to stop.

He fled, unable to look at the scene any longer. So much blood. Two lives snuffed out in a matter of one single minute. Less than that really.

He didn't even watch where he was going. All he knew was that he had to get to Mal. She lived closest, and well, even if she didn't, that's who he needed to see. But what would she say? What would happen? What would-

He ran into someone, knocking them down.

"Hey!" It was Carlos. "Oh. Jay?"

Jay stared down at the boy in front of him. He took a step back, shaking his head. He was covered in blood. It was in his hair, on his hands, splattered across his face and chest from the spray, and probably on his boots.

"Jay, what's-"

"He killed her," Jay said, and fresh tears streamed down his face. "Jafar killed Mother Gothel. I killed him. I...I killed him." He whispered the last part in horror. Then he took off running, this time sprinting in the direction of Mal's loft.

* * *

Carlos didn't follow. He lay there in the street for several long minutes, processing what Jay had told him. The four of them had barely been back on the Isle for half an hour, and something like this had already happened? All he had done was walk Evie home and was now headed back to Hell Hall, and in that time Jay had killed Jafar?

Thoughts buzzed in Carlos's mind as he tried to decide what to do. In the end, he decided not to pursue Jay. That wouldn't help him. That wouldn't help anyone if in the morning the other Isle inhabitants began to wake up and took notice of Jafar's and Mother Gothel's absences. There would be questions. Maybe even an investigation. Who really knew?

No, if Carlos was certain of anything, it was that they had to leave. Again. Whatever it took. But this time, he had a different idea of how to do it. A much quicker one than building a new device to bust through the barrier. Something simple. Something...something loud.


	12. Chapter 12

Mal slumped against the back of her door, having just closed it behind her. Her mother had just finished screaming at her for her disobedience and disappearance. She had finally decided to retire to bed. Mal was sure more ranting and glares would come in the morning, but at least it was over for the night. She just wanted quiet now that Maleficent's screeches were dying in her ears. No more loud noises.

A soft tapping sound came from Mal's window, and she crossed to the other side of the room. Parting the curtains, she gasped and hurried to open the window. "Jay?!"

Jay tumbled into the room as he tried to climb through the window. His usual catlike grace was gone. And Mal immediately saw why. In the pale moonlight streaming through the window, Mal could see dark purple bruises around his wrists and neck, as if he had been tied up and strangled. Blood spotted his chest and arms. There was even some on his face. His hair had clumped together over his left temple where a dark mass of oozing blood had started to thicken and dry.

"What happened?" she asked in a whisper, panic making it come out sharper than she intended. She didn't want to attract the attention from her mother since she wouldn't be completely asleep just yet.

"Jafar," Jay said. His hands were shaking. "Mother Gothel. So much blood. So much blood."

"Stay here," she told him and left the room. Careful not to trod on the certain floorboards that she knew would creak, she made her way to the kitchen and took the pitcher of water out of the fridge. She carefully and quietly poured some into a bowl, grabbed a rag from the bathroom, and returned to her room.

Jay was still standing where she had left him by the window. She gripped his upper arm gently and led him over to the bed, nudging him a little to get him to sit down on it.

"Jay, what happened?" Mal asked, wetting the rag and starting to wipe the blood from his hands. "Jay."

"He killed her."

"Jafar killed Mother Gothel?" Mal nearly dropped the bowl, but she righted it before any of the water could spill. She set it beside her on the bed. She continued wiping his hands clean and then slowly working up each arm as she thought, silent. "What all happened, Jay?" She needed the whole story. She didn't know how she could help comfort him if she didn't know everything.

But Jay shook his head. "I can't, Mal. I can't. It's too...they'll think it was me. When everyone wakes up...they'll think it was me."

"Jay," Mal said, a little more firmly but still wanting to be sympathetic. She softened her tone. "Please, tell me what happened."

And he did. He told her. She sat there, cleaning all the blood from his torso as she listened. She was shocked to hear the words 'noose', 'sexual abuse', and 'it's happened before' leave his lips. But she kept quiet, thinking that if she interrupted him, he may not finish the story. By the time he was done, she had softened and worked free the clump of blood in his hair. That part of his hair was soaking wet now, but it was free of blood and had seemingly stopped bleeding altogether. The water in the bowl was now a light shade of crimson, which kept catching rays of flickering light from the candles around Mal's room.

She set the bowl and rag on the floor when she was finished.

"They'll think it was them," she finally said quietly. "They had a lover's spat. Killed each other."

Jay shook his head. "There's damage at the shop."

"So it started there. She ran. He followed. It ended at her place," Mal said. She was trying to give him a way out. Trying to help him think of some solution that made this even a tiny bit better.

"Maybe."

They lapsed into silence. Jay stared at the floor, sitting still with his face like stone. Mal watched him, concerned and wanting to help but uncertain of what to do. Would it be ok to touch him?

She reached up to stroke his cheek, but he flinched when she did so. Hesitating, she instead moved her hand to lay her own over both of his where they were clasped tightly in his lap. "Jay. It'll be ok. It's over now." She knew it wouldn't be ok though. She knew this would haunt him for the rest of his life. He couldn't just kill his father and get over it. And she didn't expect him to. But she didn't know what else to say or do. When he didn't say anything, she squeezed his hand gently. "Is there anything I can do?"

"He didn't deserve that," Jay said, ignoring her question. He unzipped his vest and shrugged it off. Mal hadn't been able to get the blood off of it as if had already soaked in. He tossed it to the floor. "He was bad, but he didn't deserve that, Mal. No one deserves that."

"Jay." Mal gripped his arm, wanting him to look at her. If he hadn't already, he was going to start himself on a downward spiral of shame and guilt. She wouldn't let that happen. She couldn't. "Jay, please. Tell me how to help."

"Distract me," Jay said immediately. "Before I pitch myself off a cliff." This time, he did look at her, and his eyes were pleading.

But Mal could only think of one immediate thing to do, and she wasn't sure it was the best by any means. "Jay..." But her gaze drifted to the scars on his wrists that seemed even bigger and brighter since they had become swollen and bruised by the rope that had been bound around his wrists. She knew he was serious about self-harm. If she didn't try to make it better, then it would surely get worse. All she could do was try.

"Please, Mal. Distract me. Anything. Anything but these thoughts going through my mind."

Mal only hesitated a second more. Then she kissed him. She kissed him with every ounce of heat and desire she had in her body, wanting to make him forget. Wanting him to focus only on her.

And it seemed to work. A moment later, Jay turned his body more toward her. He returned the kiss with the same fervor.

She pushed him back onto the bed so he was lying on his back. But she was gentle about it, not wanting to hurt him any further than he had been hurt that night. And if he made any sound of pain, it was lost in the moan of pleasure she soon drew from him as she straddled his waist and ran her hands over the planes of his chest.

She was slightly surprised when he began undressing her a few minutes later. Not because she didn't want him to. But because his mood had seemed to change completely in the span of just a few minutes. Granted, those several minutes had awakened something in her that she hadn't been aware of. Something akin to an animal waking from hibernation and discovering it was starving. It was wild and hungry, and it drove her to kiss him harder and longer. With more need and less of aim of distraction. Now, she wanted it. Wanted him. Very badly. And from his actions of stripping her shirt off, she knew he was getting to that place too. Which meant the distraction had worked. Perhaps, it had worked a little too well.


	13. Chapter 13

Mal awoke to a blaring foghorn. She blinked open her eyes and rolled over, away from Jay as she tried to get her bearings. Why was a foghorn going off? Why was it a never ending series of long and short blares of sound?

She looked back at Jay where he was sleeping peacefully. She suddenly remembered what had happened the previous night and wondered if the foghorn was somehow connected. But that didn't make sense. The foghorn was at the top of the abandoned lighthouse near the bridge. It had never been used to call a meeting of the Isle citizens. But then again, had there been a murder in living memory for her? Maybe this is how they were getting a mob together to investigate.

She pushed back the covers and bent to pick her clothes up off the floor. The chilly morning air made her shiver, and she got dressed quickly before crossing to the window. She flung open the curtains and frowned, looking in the direction of the lighthouse.

It was barely after dawn, but even so, she could see a figure through the top window of the lighthouse. A figure in red and black. Carlos. What was he doing?

The door to Mal's room opened, and she spun around, her heart leaping into her throat at the thought of her mother barging in and seeing Jay. Not that he wasn't allowed to spend the night, but his boxers were in plain view on the floor near Mal's dresser.

It was Evie.

"Did you hear?" Evie asked quickly, appearing winded. "Oh...uh, morning, Jay." She had stopped dead in the center of the room, her gaze having fallen on Jay when he suddenly sat up, having awoken from her entrance. "Uh..."

Mal was hyperaware that Evie's gaze had just traveled from Jay's bare chest to the sheets that had settled around his waist and then to his underwear and pants on the floor on the side of the bed closest to Evie.

Evie shook her head, though a blush flared on her cheeks. "Sorry," she said softly. "I, uh, didn't realize I was interrupting."

"You weren't," Mal said quickly. "Did I hear what?"

"Oh, right." Evie blinked and seemed to regain her focus. "The foghorn."

"Kind of hard to ignore. What does Carlos think he's doing?" Mal huffed.

Evie shook her head. "No, it's...it's Morse Code. He's trying to get Ben's attention. Listen."

They stopped talking and listened to the long and short punctuations of the foghorn outside. Mal made out the letters 'S.O.S.' before she frowned. She didn't know Morse Code that well. They had always had other ways of communicating with each other on the Isle. But it didn't surprise her that Carlos would know it.

"He's been sending it for about an hour now, trying to wake Ben up, I expect."

"What does it say exactly?" Mal asked, looking from Evie to Jay and back again. "How do you know Morse Code?" she asked Evie because Jay looked just as confused as she felt.

"Carlos taught me. Back before...before I was friends with you two," Evie said. "It says 'S.O.S. Jafar dead. Gothel dead.' And I mean, that's bound to get Ben's attention, but what does he mean? Is it true?"

"Yeah, it's true," Jay said, and he quickly filled Evie in on a condensed version of the night's tale.

By the time he had finished, Evie was pale. "But...you think Carlos agrees with you? You think the other islanders will think you had something to do with it? Even if they do, just tell the truth. It was self-defense."

Jay shrugged a shoulder. "I guess you can see it that way. But he wasn't immediately threatening my life. He killed her, and I attacked him."

"Jay, that's crazy...you felt like your life was in danger, didn't you?" Evie asked.

"Yes, but-"

"Then it was self-defense."

Mal frowned. She didn't know what all the rules were surrounding what counted as self-defense and what didn't. But that might not even matter. They were on an island of criminals who might just love to persecute one of their own for fun. Regardless of if they believed Jay innocent or not, this was a huge scandal, and it had never been exceptionally interesting on the Isle. It wouldn't surprise Mal if they tried to convict him just to stir the pot of drama longer than necessary. For sport. And as the foghorn blared on, she concluded that that was what Carlos must have realized as well. They had to leave. Now. In case things got infinitely worse.

"Do you think Ben will come?" Evie asked. "Or send someone?"

"No," Jay said darkly. "Not when he knows one of us is a murderer now."

"Jay, you're not a murderer," Mal said. When he opened his mouth to protest, she glared at him, and he closed it again. She turned back to Evie. "Maybe we should just go talk to Carlos."

* * *

They arrived at the lighthouse ten minutes later. The spiral staircase leading up to the observation deck was steep, and this was, of course, where Carlos was. As soon as they emerged up the stairs, he whipped around.

"Do you guys sleep like rocks? I thought you would have been here almost an hour ago," Carlos said. He turned back to the control panel where the control would be for the foghorn that was perched on top of the lighthouse. "I've put in a code that will make the message play on repeat automatically. Hands free." He grinned. Then frowned when he saw their expressions. "What?"

"Do you think it will work?" Evie asked, her eyebrows drawn together in worry. "Will Ben hear it and come?"

Carlos looked thoughtful. "I believe so. If he's even awake. He may not wake up for a few hours still and even then, he could take a while to decide how to act. There will be plenty of people over there who know Morse Code."

"So, it won't be a secret what I've done," Jay grumbled.

"You're not in trouble, Jay," Carlos said. "From what you told me, it's-"

"Yeah, well, maybe I wanted to kill him," Jay snapped. Then he deflated and scrubbed a hand over his face. "I didn't mean that. He didn't deserve it."

"We know," Mal said softly. She reached for his hand and gave it a light squeeze. "It'll all be ok." She looked back at Carlos. "And what if the other islanders wake up first?"

Carlos shrugged. "Well, I mean, I don't expect a lot of them know Morse Code. I learned it from a book. Mother Gothel doesn't leave her house every day, and Jafar's shop doesn't open until noon. So we have time before anyone might notice they're missing."

Mal gave a short nod. Still holding Jay's hand, she turned to face Auradon where it sat across the channel of water. "How long will you broadcast the message?"

"Until somebody comes to make me stop," Carlos said firmly.

Silence settled between them, though it was punctuated by the foghorn, which was loud, even while inside the tower.

Then, after a few long minutes, Jay said, "I'm sorry."

The other three turned to him.

"For what?" Mal asked.

"For screwing things up so quickly. I mean, Ben said he would think about letting us come back, but now I've given us an ultimatum. I mean, I've at least given myself one. I don't think the other islanders will care who did it. If they can pin it on me, they will. It's their idea of fun, isn't it? I'll be given a death sentence. The rest of you are alright."

"You haven't screwed anything up," Mal said. "And forget the other islanders. We're getting out of here one way or another. Ben has to understand. Ben  _will_ understand."

But they all lapsed into nervous silence again. As the minutes ticked by and the foghorn droned on with its message, the sun rose higher in the sky and so did nerves in the room. Had anyone discovered Mother Gothel's and Jafar's bodies yet? Was there, even right now as they stood there, an investigation or search party taking place to find Jay or any other likely culprit? Or would they be buried secretly and the islanders actually not care at all? Would Ben care? Surely, he would give them some sign or message. Something. Anything.

It was nearly two hours after their initial arrival that Carlos jerked up to his full height, his gaze trained on something outside the window. He grinned, nearly pressing his nose against the glass. "Guys. Look!"

The other three had been sitting on the floor around the room, but now they stood and joined Carlos at the window. The magical yellow road that their car had driven across on their first trip to Auradon had appeared. It was slowly stretching across the channel to briefly link Auradon and the Isle. There was a car driving toward the Isle on the road.

Grins slowly crept onto each of their faces. Ben had heard. He had come to talk to them, and hopefully, that meant good news.

The car pulled through the archway of the bridge on the Isle side and came to a halt. The back door opened, and he got out. He looked up at the lighthouse and spotted the four gathered at the window immediately.

But it wasn't Ben.

Mal's grin disappeared, and her stomach collapsed in on itself.

It was Beast.


	14. Chapter 14

Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay all exchanged wary or frightened looks with each other as Beast walked toward the door of the lighthouse downstairs. He disappeared from their sight a moment later. He would be ascending the steps to the observation room now.

"This isn't good," Evie whispered, wringing her hands. "Why didn't Ben come? Did he send Beast so he wouldn't have to give us the bad news himself?"

"Quiet," Jay grumbled at her, and there was silence again.

Soft footsteps echoed up the metal stairs as Beast approached. A minute passed, and he appeared near the top of the spiral staircase in the center of the room. He took the last few at a sedated pace. Then he strode over to them.

"Well, well, well," he said. He pushed his hands into his pockets as he surveyed them each in turn. "You ask for acceptance back into Auradon. Then you murder two of your own. Is there even a wonder as to why I'm here?"

"Please, sir," Mal said quickly. She didn't want to anger him, but he had to know the truth. "No one murdered anyone. Well, Jafar killed Mother Gothel. But Jay killed Jafar in defense. Really."

Beast seemed to consider this for a moment. But then he shook his head. "Why try to relay this message to Auradon though? How do I know this isn't some scheme to get back into the city quicker? And with sympathy at that."

"Why would we lie about this?" Jay snapped. "I can take you to their bodies if you're really that stubborn that you need proof. It's the other islanders that we have to worry about now. They won't care that I'm innocent."

"Innocent of this, maybe. But as for other crimes, I highly doubt you're innocent."

"Those are in the past. I put those days behind me when I chose good at the coronation. We all did." Jay curled his hands into fists, and Beast gave a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"That doesn't change the fact that you are rash and violent. All of you," Beast said.

Before anyone else could protest that that wasn't true, Mal suddenly spat, "Oh yeah, and who does that remind you of? Have you looked in a mirror recently?"

No one else spoke as Beast rounded on her, a vein in his forehead popping out as he did so.

"You have bad blood, Mal. No amount of promises or resolutions to be good can change that. Sooner or later, you will revert to your old ways. The ways of your parents. The way I see it, you get everything you deserve by living here. It's where you belong. And it's where you should have always been."

Beast's words stung Mal like a slap in the face. It seemed like no matter what they did or said, they would never be good enough for Beast. They could never escape the habits of their parents. Was that true? Did other people in Auradon agree with him?

It was her turn to be angry, and she took a step forward, her blood pounding in her ears. But she stopped just before she retaliated with more scathing words of her own. There were footsteps coming from the stairs. Someone else was coming up to the observation platform.

Beast must have heard it too because he spun around just as the newcomer appeared at the top of the steps.

It was Ben. And he was entirely out of breath. He stopped when he saw them and leaned against the topmost part of the railing.

"Ben!" Beast looked surprised to see his son interfering with his obvious plan of squashing the spirit of the Isle teens once and for all. "How did you...what are you doing here?"

"I got...up," Ben panted. "Mom...told me I...had a message. From...the Isle. Foghorn. Morse Code." He was clutching a stitch in his side. How far had he run? The lighthouse didn't have that many steps. "Said you'd left. So...I ran."

"What, all the way here?" Beast asked, and he glanced back out the window.

Mal turned too, and she saw that the magic road to connect the Isle and Auradon was now disappearing. But there was still only one car outside the lighthouse, just the one Beast had arrived in. When she turned back to the front, Ben was nodding.

"Yes. Couldn't wait on a car." He forced his breathing to become a bit slower, still using the railing as a crutch. But he could speak a bit better now. "I knew what you were going to do. I don't care what their story is. They're coming back."

"What? But, you-" Beast started.

"I said," Ben said loudly, now straightening up since he had gotten his breath back. "They're coming back to Auradon. Whether you like it or not. Whether I have your approval or not. Because, frankly, I don't give a damn what happened here last night. Everyone knows how much of a sleaze Jafar is, and if not, I'm sure that between Jay and Jasmine, we can put together a fine image of his true self behind closed doors." He looked at Jay, and Jay nodded.

Ben walked forward now, but he stood apart from his father. "I'd like to hear what did happen though." He cast a dark look at his father. "It won't change my decision though. And, pardon my disrespect, Father, but we'll be talking later about who is king and who needs to accept that they are no longer one."

Mal felt like the ground was shifting underneath her feet. This final act of Beast's defiance of his son's rule had seemed to push Ben over the edge. It was shocking to see Ben behaving like this. Like...well, like a king. He was confident again. And firm. He was finally taking charge of his reign.

Mal was still reeling at this revelation of Ben's change in behavior that it took her a moment to realize Jay was speaking. He was recounting the previous night's events for Ben.

When he was done, Beast looked torn between disgust and disappointment. Mal wondered if he had really wanted Jay to confess to killing Jafar in cold blood just to give Ben a reason to keep him on the Isle forever. After a moment of silent hesitation, Beast spun on his heel and left the lighthouse.

At the opposite end of the spectrum was Ben's horror and sympathy.

Ben nodded and swallowed. "I will have things...taken care of. Uh, cleaned up, I mean. Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair, and Mal noticed that the hand was shaking. "But that will be later, once we're all back in Auradon. It's...yeah, let's just get you all home."


	15. Chapter 15

_Epilogue, 2 years later_

The tourney field at Auradon Prep was not set up for a game day. On the contrary, it was set up for a very different event; not a competition, but rather a celebration. Instead of sweaty tourney players in jerseys, there were almost fifty students in graduation gowns and caps, all navy blue with gold stoles bearing the school crest draped around their necks. Thirty or so large circular tables were spread out on one half of the field, starting at mid-field and ending just before the endzone where a long buffet table was set up. On the other half of the field was an dance floor, a few photo booths, a cotton candy and popcorn stand, and other such celebratory necessities. The DJ's platform in the accompanying endzone completed the other half of the field. But the latter half was completely void of people since it was meant for after the banquet spent with family and friends. The dancing would be for when night came and was just for the graduating class to have one last night together before parting ways for the summer and their separate colleges and futures.

"I just can't wait to move into the apartment," Evie was saying, walking a pace or so in front of Mal in the buffet line that the graduates were leading. "I'm so excited that we'll all be living together. Though, do you think there'll be room for my sewing machine?"

Mal laughed and picked up a plate. "Of course, there will be room, E. You're double majoring in fashion and chemistry. We'll make room. There will be room for it all."

"Well, I just didn't know what with..." She glanced back at Mal and smiled, then gave the same look to Jay who was with Carlos walking down the other side of the buffet table so they were opposite each other.

Mal laughed. "There will be room. We'll make it work. But, yes, I'm excited for moving in to the apartment with you all too."

She smiled at her friends and then focused on piling huge helpings of macaroni and cheese and green beans on her plate. She was glad this wasn't her last meal with her friends or she would have been more sad. It was sad enough that they were all leaving Auradon Prep, the place they had called home for two years now, and saying goodbye for now to other friends they had made there, such as Ben, Doug, Jane, and Lonnie. They were all going to different colleges than Mal and the others, which meant they'd all be scattered around Auradon. Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay however were all going to the same college: Auradon State. It was upon this unanimous decision that the suggestion had been made for them to all get an apartment together, which was the same apartment Evie was speaking of. They would all be living together for college.

But there was a long summer to make it through before that. It wasn't that Mal expected the summer to be unpleasant. It was just going to be...different. New. Unfamiliar territory. This summer, there was no looking forward to going back to Auradon Prep after a summer spent at the palace in Agrabah where the four friends were invited to stay every summer. This summer, Evie wouldn't be a constant companion as she and Doug were going on a five week trip around Auradon's largest cities and sightseeing before they temporarily parted ways for college. This summer, Carlos would be visiting Jane frequently as he usually did while also juggling his part time job at the animal shelter. This summer, Jay would be gone some weekends once it got closer to September to start training for tourney at Auradon State, which had offered him a sports scholarship. And he would be helping Mal this summer, of course. Because, well, this summer...Mal would be having a baby.

"Hey, guys, over here," Jay called. He had finished at the buffet line first and gone to get them a table.

By the time Mal, Evie, and Carlos joined him, he had stripped off his graduation gown and cap and sat down in one of the folding chairs positioned around the table. The other three did the same, having not had time to get out of their graduation attire since leaving the auditorium where the ceremony had been held ten minutes previous. Now, Mal and Evie sported dresses, and Jay and Carlos both wore dark jeans and polo shirts.

Mal sat down in a chair between Evie and Jay. Then she sighed, having just gotten comfortable. "I forgot to get a drink," she mumbled when Jay gave her a concerned look.

"I'll get it," he said, jumping up and heading back to the buffet line where the rest of their classmates, teachers, and families were still going down the line.

"He's good at that, isn't he?" Evie giggled. "Getting you everything you need, I mean."

Mal blushed. "He's been wonderful for all of this." She passed a hand over her swollen belly and felt a kick from within. She smiled.

After returning from the Isle two years ago, Mal and Jay had started properly dating. This mostly meant that instead of kisses and hugs while consoling Jay or patching him up from injuries from Jafar, they went on real dates now. Pizza, bowling, and skee ball at the arcade. Picnics and swimming under the stars. Saturday movie marathons. Professional tourney matches. The list was endless, and Mal's memories of such dates often became just a blur of happiness surrounding Jay. Then, the summer between their junior and senior year, they had gotten married. It would be their first anniversary at the end of June. But by then, they would be a family of three.

When Mal had found out she was pregnant, it seemed dizzyingly impossible that she would get to finish senior year. And she almost hadn't. Just before the start of finals week, she had gone into false labor due to stress. It was by some miracle that she had made it through the rest of the week to the graduation ceremony. Her due date was just a week away now. It had been cutting it close, but it was over now. She had graduated. Now, just to give birth to a baby. No problem.

Jay returned with a glass of water for Mal. She thanked him and sipped at it as he took his seat again.

It was just a moment later that Jane joined them, taking a seat next to Carlos and kissing him sweetly on the cheek.

"Is Doug joining us?" Mal asked Evie.

Evie swallowed her bite of salad. "No, gosh no. He's over there." She nodded toward mid-field where Doug was flitting between four or five different tables as he was beckoned each way by several people as they apparently wondered where they should all sit and he pointed them in different directions. "His parents and siblings are over there. And all six of his uncles came. All with huge families too."

Mal blinked. "Wow. That's...have you met all of them?"

Evie inhaled deeply as if preparing herself to face a dragon. "Nope. I will tonight though. Have to meet the extended family sometime, I guess, right?"

Mal nodded and ate more of her food. She looked up again when Aladdin, Jasmine, and Aziz all sat down, completing their table of eight.

"Hey, bro, congratulations!" Aziz gave Jay a fist bump, and Mal smiled. Two years ago, Aziz had been shocked from the revelation of Jay being his half-brother. Now, it was as if the two had grown up together. Jay's assumptions had been wrong. They weren't from such different worlds that they couldn't be friends or brothers. It was amazing how close they had become in two short years.

Jay laughed. "Thanks. Now you're the big, bad senior on campus." He winked. "And who knows, maybe you'll end up at Auradon State next year too."

Aziz rolled his eyes at this and laughed. "We'll see."

Their table lapsed into silence for a few minutes while everyone ate.

"So, have you all decided on a name yet?" Jane asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, well, we would need to know the gender to make a final selection," Mal said evasively. She glanced at Jay, who was grinning. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the rest of the table had stopped to listen too.

Jane laughed. "Ok, fine, then do you have a few names in mind?"

Mal shrugged.

"Oh, we should just tell them," Jay said with a laugh.

"But you said..." Mal rolled her eyes at him with a laugh. Jay had been the one who had wanted to wait to give the news. "Ok, go on."

Jay grinned. "We, uh, we actually know the gender. We found out last week when we took Mal to the hospital when she thought she was going into labor."

"But you wanted to wait," Jasmine said, frowning thoughtfully.

"We just got too curious," Jay said sheepishly. "But, yeah, so...we're going to name her Jasmine. I mean, if that's alright with you."

Jasmine suddenly looked like she might burst into tears, and she stood quickly. She rushed around the table to Jay and Mal and pulled them both into a hug from behind. "Of course, it's alright!" She released them and straightened back up. She dabbed at her eyes. "I can't believe you're having a little girl."

"This means I get to make her little dresses!" Evie said and hugged Mal tightly.

Mal laughed nervously. "Ok, but nothing too frilly." At Evie's horrified and hurt look, she rushed on, "I mean, ok, maybe one frilly thing."

Evie grinned.

Jasmine returned to her seat and starting listing things they should get to add to the baby's nursery they had already set up in Agrabah. Now that the name and gender were known, there were plenty of embellishments to add.

Mal mostly tuned Jay and Jasmine out as they discussed this. Instead, she was watching Jay, who was eating in between bits of conversation. Her eyes had found one of the many scars that she normally traced over with delicate fingers as they lay in bed together some nights. This particular one was just visible above his shirt collar near the nape of his neck. Jay had once explained it was from where Jafar had hit too high with the whip and sliced open his neck and made him pass out. Now, Mal stared at it, transfixed again as if she were seeing it for the first time.

Two years had made such a difference in Jay. He was happy. He smiled most days. He was positive about life and his future and their future together. But time either hadn't yet or couldn't at all erase Jafar's taint from him. Mal knew he still had nightmares. He still woke in the night. On nights that she hadn't spent in Jay's dorm room and seen his reaction herself, she heard about it from Carlos and saw the fatigue in Jay's eyes. He would wake up, screaming and sweating and couldn't get back to sleep for hours, if at all.

She wondered if the scars would ever hurt him less. Not the physical ones on his body, no. She meant the emotional and mental ones Jafar had left. The ones no one could see. The ones that had made Jay break down crying in the middle of March a few weeks ago and tell Mal that he didn't think he could do it. He didn't think he could be a good father.

He had gotten good at hiding the scars. Mal wondered if Jasmine or Aladdin even suspected that he still felt such pain. From looking at him, no one would suspect it. Frankly, outside of the immediate group at the table and Ben, Doug, Beast, and Belle, no one knew what had really happened two years ago on the Isle when the foghorn signal had been sent. The story had been told that, as Mal suggested to Ben, it was a lover's spat. People thought that Jafar and Mother Gothel had been the only ones involved in each other's deaths. That way, Jay could go free of questions from classmates about his father.

"Hey, I'm going up there for dessert." Jay nodded to the buffet line. There was a table set apart from it that had a large sheet cake on it for the guests. "Want me to get you some cake?"

Mal nodded and watched him go. He was wrong to have even a single doubt about whether he would be a good father. They had all turned out vastly different than their parents. And the more Jay hated the thought of becoming like Jafar, the more different he would be. He would be kind and generous and loving. He was already all of those things anyhow.

Jay was headed back with two pieces of cake now, a plate in each hand. He smiled at her, and she returned it instantly.

Yes, those scars might be a part of him, but he didn't start and end with them. They didn't rule his life now. They were in the past, merely a haunting memory of what was and could have been had it continued. The past had loosened its hold on him. Now, he was free. Now, he was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N from original upload on fanfiction.net (7/25/2016): You guys have been such amazing readers! I thank you all for sticking with this story and reading and reviewing! I have enjoyed writing this story so much for you guys. However, sadly, this is where this one must end. This story is now complete and will not receive any new updates. If you wish to know when I post new stuff, please give me an author follow. For now, keep reading and keep loving life.
> 
> Foarrin


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